


A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

by I_Live_In_A_Trash_Can



Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-03-25 10:14:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 22,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13832043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Live_In_A_Trash_Can/pseuds/I_Live_In_A_Trash_Can
Summary: The Wonder Team has been locked in constant battles with their nemesis, Nightmare, for nearly a year now.But maybe it's time for things to change.





	1. Prologue: Terror in the Night

**Author's Note:**

> I give in, have more superheroes

The moonlight from behind him cast a shadow across his masked face, emphasizing the glow from his eyes; deep purple with black sclera and slit pupils. His mismatched wings flared out behind him, the right feathered and the left bat-like. The villain stepped forward, the heels of his boots clicking on the asphalt.

"About time you showed up," he growled, distorted voice ringing clear in the night. "I almost thought we wouldn't get to play tonight."

Another man stepped forward- he was dressed in a glowing suit of gold and silver armor that, upon close inspection, was slightly transparent- and glared at the villain. "Your reign of terror ends here, Nightmare."

Nightmare smirked, his fangs peeking out from under his lips. "I find it hard to believe you, Goldenrod," he taunted. "After all, you've been _so successful_ before in your attempts to stop me."

"I wouldn't over-generalize if I were you." The speaker, another man in a dark grey suit with veins of blue webbing out across it, advised as he took his place next to Goldenrod.

"Neuron with the vocab words," Nightmare mocked. "I missed ya, nerd. Still sore?"

Neuron's expression remained indifferent, but the faint glow from his electric blue eyes flickered, giving away his irritation.

"Stop making fun of him," a third man scolded, joining the other two. He wore a silvery suit with stripes running up the sides and goggles.

"The gang's all here! And here I was, thinking you'd chicken out, Spectrum."

"Shut up, fiend," Goldenrod demanded. "You're outnumbered. Surrender or else."

"Or else what? You're going to exhaust yourself trying to catch me?" Nightmare took to the air, glaring down at the three heroes. "Let the game begin, 'cause I'm ready to play."

Goldenrod lifted his arm, summoning an army of arrows behind him that barreled towards the villain. However, Nightmare easily conjured a wall of shadows in front of himself, catching the arrows before they could do any damage.

The villain caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and turned to see a dumpster encompassed by a faint blue glow soaring towards him. He sent a ball of shadows slamming into it, sending it ricocheting back. Neuron knew better than to try to push it back- the bruises along his sides and abdomen were enough of a reminder that it wouldn't change direction in time- so he darted out of it's way. He found himself standing beside Spectrum.

"How are you feeling?" Neuron questioned, a slight distaste in his voice. Spectrum considered for a second before responding.

"I feel... Happy."

The stripes along his suit turned a glowing yellow as the hero gave a small smile.

"Satisfactory," Neuron muttered before scanning the alleyways for easier items to manipulate.

Spectrum lifted his hand and a beam of light shot from it, headed straight towards the villain.

Nightmare fired a matching beam of shadow to the light, barely stopping it from hitting him. The beams ebbed away on impact. However, before he could gloat or attempt another attack, something rammed into his head from behind.

He tumbled through the air a little before catching himself, a searing pain pounding through his skull. He turned to the heroes, seeing that Goldenrod had conjured a pile of bricks and Neuron had helped launch them at him.

"You-" Nightmare's snarl was cut off as two more bricks came soaring towards him. He flew over them, but did not return to his previous altitude.

Instead, he fired another beam of shadow at Goldenrod. The hero deflected it with one of the bricks. Unfortunately (for him, at least,) the brick shattered, sending chunks back at him. He prevented his face from getting harmed by blocking it with both arms, though he did receive a few cuts along his arms as a result.

Nightmare let out a low hiss as he landed. "That was a fun game, but alas, you arrived too late."

Goldenrod scowled at the villain, remaining bricks disappearing in a puff of gold dust. "What do you mean 'too late'?"

Nightmare smirked. "Seven."

The heroes paused, each confused.

"Pardon?" Neuron questioned.

"Seven," Nightmare restated, gesturing further down the street to where a small house had been tipped over and now lay as nothing more than a pile of rubble.

Goldenrod's eyes widened as he understood.

_'Seven people lie dead in that wreckage.'_

He summoned his sword- large, broad, and the same gold and silver of his armor- and sprinted towards Nightmare. He swung as he got close, but he was just too slow.

All he cut through was darkness.

Nightmare was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions? Suggestions? Critiques? Leave a comment (or a kudos if you really liked it)! I **will** be continuing this, so stay tuned and hope I don't start procrastinating again. I hope you enjoyed!


	2. Chapter 1: The day after

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton is a habitual punner, Logan's just irritated, Roman's grumpy, and Virgil's a salty boi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mild coarse language

"I can't believe we lost again."

Three men sat at a booth in a local coffee shop. They frequented the café, as it was a calming place to relax and recuperate after a night out on the town.

(That's superhero talk for 'fighting fricken crime')

Roman stared dejectedly into his cappuccino, running his thumb around the rim of the cup.

"Hey, cheer up! I mean, it wasn't a total loss," Patton contributed.

"Not a total loss? People still died, and he still got away." Roman's voice lowered as he spoke, and he glanced around the small yet crowded shop to see if anyone heard. Luckily, no one had.

"I believe Patton is correct," Logan chimed in. "Despite the unfortunate outcome, at least we were able to prevent more deaths from occurring."

"Plus, no one got injured this time," Patton added before licking a bit of whipped cream off the top of his frappuccino.

Roman sighed, leaning back in the booth. "I guess." He lifted his cup to his mouth, taking a quick gulp. "I'm just irritated. This has been going on for what, a year now? You'd think we'd be able to nail him by now."

"We just need to have patience," Logan advised, taking a sip of his double espresso.

Roman gave another exasperated sigh, drumming his fingers on the table.

Another minute passed in tense silence before Patton faintly giggled. Roman glanced up to see the younger man had whipped cream on his nose, as well as a cream mustache of sorts.

Roman half-smiled, glad to be distracted by Patton's childlike antics.

Patton attempted to lick the sweet topping off of his face, but his tongue couldn't quite reach his nose. Roman chuckled, taking another drink of coffee while Logan looked on in mixed amusement and disappointment.

Finally, Patton gave in and scooped the cream off with a finger, which he cleaned soon afterwards.

With his tongue of course.

Logan shook his head, taking another sip of his coffee. "That's unsanitary."

"I can't let good whip cream go to waste," Patton joked. "That wouldn't be _dairy_ nice."

It took Logan a moment before realization passed over his face and he let out a groan.

Roman hid his laughter behind his coffee cup, while Patton laughed out loud.

"How do you come up with those?" Roman inquired.

Patton shrugged, taking an actual sip of his coffee (as most of the whipped cream had already been cleared from the top) before responding, "I dunno. It's kind of a habit by now. I don't think about making puns- Well, most of the time. Every now and then I throw one in on purpose."

"Luckily, I am aware of several tactics that can help break habits," Logan muttered, which only caused Patton to start laughing again.

"Come on, Pocket Protector," Roman teased, "You know you love Pat's jokes."

"I do not."

"Aww, why not?"

"It's nothing against you. I just... Don't partake in childish humor. Humor in general. I'm not a humorous person. I'm more on the serious side. Of course I am, I wear-"

"A necktie," The three recited in unison. Patton and Roman exchanged a look, Patton clearly trying to hold back even more laughter.

Logan cleared his throat and kept a straight face, turning his gaze to his coffee as he took a drink. "You are both familiar with this by now," he acknowledged.

"Well, duh. We've known each other for over a year now. Been a team for almost a year."

"We're like, best friends!" Patton added, taking another drink as well.

"I'd think so," Logan mumbled from behind his cup.

A few minutes later, they had all finished their coffees. Patton was last out the door as usual, stopping to give a quick goodbye to the barista.

The three maneuvered through the crowded streets in a desperate attempt to get back to their apartment in one piece.

Somehow Patton, the most-distracted-while-walking of the group, ended up in front. He glanced back sheepishly at the other two.

"We might end up being late for work. It's more busy than usual-"

"Patton look where you're going."

"Whoops! That would-"

He bumped into something. Glancing down, his hazel eyes met grey-blue.

 

 

He knew better than to run in the city streets. With his hood up, nonetheless.

But he was late and the sunlight was _**killing his eyeballs alive.**_

Besides, he knew his way to the doctors office. He had walked by it before, and visited once or twice.

He _really_ didn't like going there, or to any doctors for that matter, for several reasons.

But he could make an exception on some occasions.

Like now, when he might have a fucking concussion.

He probably should have been paying more attention but even moving his head made his skull feel like it was about to implode.

Which is how he ended up slamming into something- some _one_.

"Oh my gosh! Are you ok? I'm so sorry!"

It took him a second to process what was even happening. He was looking up (Always up. Why did he have to be so freaking short-) into a man's face. His eyes where hazel with a splash of green around the pupils, and his hair was wavy and a matching hazel. He wore glasses, and his cheeks and nose were dotted with subtle freckles.

"I-it's fine," he stammered, pulling his hood up a bit further to stop the sunlight from stabbing his eyes out.

"I told you to watch where you were going," another man scolded, stepping beside the first. He had dark brown hair and black ey- Nope, dark brown eyes, but they were almost black- and wore glasses as well.

The first sheepishly smiled up at the other, before turning back.

"My name's Patton!" he announced, holding his hand out to shake. "What's yours?"

"Virgil," he replied after a beat of hesitation. He didn't shake Patton's hand.

The other man looked only slightly disappointed, but Virgil didn't have much time to evaluate his situation before a third man came up on Patton's other side.

"Pat, let's get a move on. We're alre-"

Virgil froze, as did the third.

He was tall, and his hair was smooth and golden brown. His jaw was strong and firmly set. His eyes were a pure, stunning gold, and they struck a chord of familiarity to Virgil.

Damn, that was the most gorgeous man he'd ever seen in his life-

_'Stop being gay for one freaking minute-'_

"Oh, sorry! Virgil, this is Logan," He gestured to the man to his left, "And this is Roman!" He gestured to the ~~beautiful~~ _'stop it'_ man on his right.

Roman scowled at Virgil, while Logan's glare was directed at Patton.

"I apologize for our friend's... _eagerness_ per say. As you can probably guess, he's rather amiable. But still, we have somewhere to go and it would be best if we went on our way."

Logan seemed to direct his last words to Patton, and the shorter man shied away from the other's final assertion.

"I've got somewhere to go too," Virgil replied, though it came out a bit weaker than he had meant it to.

"Then let's go our separate ways, shall we?" Roman growled, sending a mistrusting look at Virgil before grabbing Patton's arm and pulling the smaller man forward. Virgil ducked between the opening they formed and continued his journey, choosing to ignore Patton's final call of "Hope to see you again sometime!"

He kept his eyes on the sidewalk in front of him this time, despite the extra bits of pain it caused him.

_Fuck, it felt like he had been hit with a pile of bricks, even though it had only been one._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions? Suggestions? Critiques? Leave a comment (or a kudos if you really liked it!) I hope you enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 2: Dinnertime Discussions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes had a long day.
> 
> Patton just wants everyone to be happy.

Roman crashed on the couch, exhausted from another long day at work. His boss had made him work overtime an extra two hours to make up for him being late.

He had only been late by 10 minutes.

He sat there, his arms splayed over the back of the couch, for another minute or so before the smell of Patton making dinner drove him to stand again and head into the kitchen.

Patton looked up as Roman collapsed onto a chair. The younger gave a broad smile, looking over at Roman.

"Long day, huh?"

Roman groaned in response.

"Let's hope we don't have another night out tonight, then. I'm pretty pooped too, and Lo was practically asleep on his feet. I wouldn't be surprised if he-"

Logan stumbled into the kitchen, already in casual clothing.

"Oh, hi Lo! Glad you didn't fall asleep standing."

Logan crumpled onto one of the other chairs, giving a quiet mumble in response.

Patton sighed, turning back to the pasta sauce he had been making. "We haven't had spaghetti in a while. I figured it was about time... You two up for it?"

Roman shrugged. "Sure."

Logan gave no response.

Patton stared uncertainly into the pot. "I mean, if you don't want spaghetti I can make something el-"

"It would be illogical to stop and make something else, considering you are already almost done. That would be a waste of food and time."

The youngest couldn't help but to be shocked and a little unnerved at how robotic Logan sounded. Ok, ok, usually he's pretty monotone, but now he was even more so.

"Gee, _something_ wore ya out, didn't it?"

No response.

Patton sighed and just kept mixing.

 

 

The click of something being placed on the table snapped him out of his thoughts.

Roman looked up to see that Patton had set a full plate in front of him. He mumbled a "Thanks" before digging in.

A few minutes passed in silence before Patton spoke up again.

"Do either of you want to talk about your days?"

And Roman was off.

"My boss is insufferable! He made me stay for an extra TWO HOURS overtime when I had only been late by 15 minutes **at the most.** And you know what I got paid for that extra time? NOTHING. I swear he is trying to drive me insane. And you know what he says? 'Maybe you should show up to work on time.' Well maybe YOU should stop being SUCH A LITTLE-"

He stopped himself, realizing he was gripping his fork so hard his knuckles were turning white. He dropped it, hands shaking slightly.

"Sorry. I got a little ahead of myself there."

"It's fine!" Patton assured, but there was concern in his eyes.

Roman sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I'm already looking around for other job options. As soon as I find somewhere else, I'm quitting. My sanity cannot stay intact working a stupid desk job. I wish the local theatre would put on another production already, I need to put my drama skills to good use again."

The room was back to silence. Patton turned to Logan.

"Do you have anything you want to talk about?"

The eldest shrugged, staring at his plate. He had only taken a few bites.

"I am not sure I have much to talk about. I'm simply a bit overwhelmed. A good night's rest may benefit me greatly."

"Finish your dinner first, Lo."

Roman had already cleaned his plate. He placed it in the sink before plopping back down.

"I'm pretty overwhelmed, too. Boss is getting ruder, Nightmare's getting more active, rent's getting more expensive, heck even the coffee is starting to cost more!!! I can hardly keep up with everything going on."

"H-hey... remember this morning? The nice barista gave us a discount."

"Only because of you. I swear, that girl loves you."

Patton simpered. "N-not in the way you're implying."

Roman rolled his eyes, resting his head on a hand.

"And, remember the friend we made?"

Roman glanced up at Patton. "You mean the emo you bumped into? I don't trust him."

"Roman! It's rude to judge a book by it's cover."

"I don't care! Something just seemed... Off about him."

Patton gave Roman a knowing look. "There's something you're not saying."

Roman sighed. "Fine. He... He reminded me of Nightmare."

Concern flashed across Patton's face, and Logan looked up in confusion.

"Uhh... What on earth did Virgil do to remind you of _Nightmare_?"

"I don't know!" Roman let his head fall onto the table with a bang. "I think it was the hair."

"Don't be silly. Nightmare's hair is entirely purple, Virgil just had a purple fringe."

"I know, I know-"

"Additionally, the heights don't match up. Nightmare is taller than Patton while Virgil was shorter," Logan contributed.

" _I know!_ It's just... Whatever. I still don't like him."

"Roman-" Patton scolded, but he paused before deciding to take a different approach. "How about I look for Virgil tomorrow before going to work, and ask him if we can all meet up at the coffee shop? Then we'd be able to get to know each other better!"

"Patton, no."

"I'm doing it. Tomorrow I'm finding Virgil. We're going to meet up and talk and _we're going to be friends._ "

Logan sighed, getting up to put his plate in the sink. "You cannot force friendships to happen, Patton."

The youngest sighed as well, running a hand through his hair. "Sorry."

"It's fine. I believe what we all need is a good night's rest."

With that, Logan retreated to his bedroom. Roman soon left to go to his own, and Patton had no choice but to do so as well.

 

 

_Elsewhere, a single figure was perched atop a building, glowing eyes scanning the street below._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm... Should I throw in a bit of angst or just get on with the story? A.K.A Break your hearts now or later
> 
> Questions? Suggestions? Critiques? Leave a comment below (or a kudos if you really liked it!) Well, I'm off to decide your fate. Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 3: 083

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't help it have some angst
> 
> Warning: Branding, implied/referenced torture, torture of a kid

_The boy's eyes slowly opened. The room he was in was fairly dark and icy cold. He tried to move, but he was strapped to something._

_"Oh, goodie! You're awake!"_

_A man stepped into his view. He faintly remembered being handed off to this man before something hurt him and everything went black._

_He didn't know this man. He didn't know the men that had brought him here either._

_He didn't know where he was, he didn't know where his mother was-_

_The strange man had turned away and was messing with something metal attached to a rod._

_"Let's see," he muttered to himself. "What number are we on? Oh, right."_

_He stuck the rod into a pot of some sort before turning back to the boy._

_"You've got to learn a few rules here. First off, don't speak unless spoken to. Got it?"_

_The boy gave a shaky nod. The man smiled, and the boy's blood turned to ice at the mere sight of it. His teeth were yellow and uneven with one or two missing._

_"Good. You're one of the quiet ones. Trust me, you'll be better off in the long run that way. Secondly, obey any and all orders given. Any rebellion or misconduct will result in punishment."_

_The boy didn't understand entirely, but he knew what 'punishment' meant. Plus, he was too scared to ask what the other words were. He gave another nod, swallowing hard._

_"Rules in the Chambers are no different from the Cages, but down here, we have one more rule. And that is; Don't struggle."_

_The boy shivered at the tone of the man's voice. The man walked back over to the rod, checking it before returning to the boy._

_"Now, rules in the Ring are different. There's only one rule in the Ring."_

_The man leaned close to the boy's face. His breath smelled like rancid milk._

_"Kill or be killed. Fight for your life, or you're gonna lose it. And if you can't kill, but you won't die, get ready to visit the Chambers."_

_The boy let out a terrified whimper, trying to worm out of the thick leather straps that had him pinned._

_"Now, now. Remember rule 3 of the Chambers. Don't struggle."_

_The man took a small knife from a table near the boy and used it to cut open the boy's shirt._

_"One more rule. What's your name?"_

_The boy shuddered, the knife's proximity to his skin threatening to send him into a panic. He forced himself to speak._

_"E-"_

_"Don't care."_

_The man threw the remains of the boy's shirt aside before setting the knife back. He pulled the rod out of it's pot. It was glowing a bright orange-red._

_"Listen up. Your old name? Forget it. Don't ever say it again. Don't ever think about it again."_

_He placed one hand on the boy's chest, pinning him even further. He lifted the glowing rod._

_"From now on, your name is 083. Got it?"_

_The boy shakily nodded, fear growing even stronger._

_"Oh, and one more thing. It hurts less if you don't move."_

_He pressed the glowing end of the rod into the newly-dubbed 083's chest._

_The boy screamed, pain searing through him. He squirmed, trying to get away from it, but nothing could help._

_After what seemed like hours, despite it being mere seconds, the man pulled the rod away._

_083 gasped for breath, tears filling his eyes. The smell of burnt skin easily wafted up to him. He glanced at his chest to see the three numbers the man had called his 'new name' branded right over his heart._

_The man cackled, discarding the rod._

_"Now, tell me, which hand is your dominant?"_

_The boy blinked up at him through his tears, still gasping and whimpering from the pain._

_The man grabbed 083's hair, yanking hard. The boy yelped._

_"Answer me."_

_"L-left," 083 squeaked in terror._

_The man gave a smile that could only be described as sadistic, pulling another, much larger, much more petrifying tool from the table._

_083 felt his whole being turn cold. At that moment, he wondered why he told the truth. Now he was going to lose his hand-_

_But as the man positioned the tool, 083 realized he wasn't aiming for his arm._

_"Welcome to the Ring. Your Alteration starts now."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes this will be important.
> 
> Questions? Suggestions? Critiques? Leave a comment below (or a kudos if you really liked it!) Thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 4: Playtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmare has a bit of fun...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Death

He pulled himself out of his thoughts, quickly scanning the streets. Luckily no one had spotted him yet.

Nightmare shuffled his wings a little before focusing on his current task once more.

The street was only slightly busy. A few cars passed each other, and passerby were scattered.

_Now, what was the best way to cause a bit of chaos?_

Nightmare spotted two cars coming down the street from opposite directions and got an idea.

As the cars drew closer, he summoned a wave of shadow to send one swerving right into the other.

His minimal work paid off big time. Instantly the pedestrians nearby were sent into a panic, trying to flee the scene.

He chuckled to himself, waiting on his perch for a particular trio to arrive.

However, the city police had rushed to the scene instead.

A sickening glee rose in the villain's chest.

It was a law that police couldn't interfere with the actions of 'Supers'. Looks like he was going to get some free fun...

As a group of officers left their cars to inspect the scene, Nightmare leapt off the building, using his wings to slow his fall.

He landed with a loud thud as his boots hit the pavement. The two closest officers snapped to attention, one shining his flashlight over.

The light stung Nightmare's eyes for a second, but he refused to wince. He grinned at the pair, standing tall.

The one holding the flashlight fumbled with it, and fear flickered across both of their faces.

"Greetings, officers~" Nightmare taunted, stepping closer.

"S-stay back," the second officer said, nudging his comrade back as well.

However, the first had other ideas. He switched his flashlight out for a pistol.

"Aww, isn't that cute? You think you can scare me with that?"

A female officer called over to the two from the crash area; "Leave it alone and get back over here!"

Nightmare chuckled. "Listen to your girlfriend~ You don't want to-"

The first officer fired.

Nightmare met the bullet with a wall of shadow.

"Now, now. Don't you remember the law? I would have thought an _officer_ of all people would remember not to poke his nose in our business."

The second was trying to drag the other away, and was almost succeeding-

Nightmare smirked before firing two beams of shadow at the officers.

To his utter delight, both hit.

Both officers fell back, a dome of shadow encompassing them. The female officer screamed in the background.

The first had dropped his pistol.

Nightmare casually picked it up and glanced down at the two. The second had his eyes closed and appeared peaceful, as if asleep.

Appearances can be deceiving.

While the dome was up, the second would be trapped witnessing his worst nightmare replay before his very eyes.

But the first officer...

His eyes were wide open. His expression was one of fear and panic.

This _was_ his worst nightmare.

Making a mistake that resulted in his death.

Nightmare grinned. _This was going to be fun._

The female officer was screaming a name. _"Geoffrey!"_

"Is that your name?" He asked the first, knowing he wouldn't get a response.

He shrugged. "Eh, I don't care. Whoever you are, I hope you're happy. Hmm... Should I just kill you, or leave you to watch me do it a thousand times over?"

A loud bang echoed through the streets. Pain jolted through the villain and he let out an inhuman screech.

He glared at the officers hiding by the crashed cars. The female had gone into hysterics, and a few others were desperately trying to hold her back.

"Guess we're doing this the quick way."

Nightmare aimed the pistol at the second officer's head and fired.

The female screamed.

The first opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

"Thought you could be so brave. Guess this is your wake-up call. Too bad it came too late."

He aimed.

"Better get it over with before the Three Stooges show up. Nighty night."

He fired.

 

 

The heroes didn't even show up.

The female officer had been taken away from the scene. The crash had been cleared up, for the most part. An ambulance had arrived to take the injured drivers to the hospital.

Of course, all of this had been done with Nightmare standing threateningly atop a building nearby watching their every moves.

When everything was taken care of, Nightmare couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment.

_'What's the good of having playthings if you can't play with them?'_

He mentally kicked himself for that thought.

Sunrise was coming up soon. He might as well go home and get an hour or so's rest before he had to get up again. That, and he should probably take care of his injury.

He flew off, not bothering to conceal himself quite yet.

He dived into the alleyway behind his apartment building and cast a quick glance around. Luckily he was alone.

He took a deep breath as he de-summoned his wings. He put a hand over the bulge caused by his amulet and willed his suit to change into his casual clothes.

He quickly fished in his pockets for the key to the back door of the building. Fortunately, he didn't have to search for long.

He quickly unlocked the door and stepped inside, locking the door again behind him. He glanced around the hall, glad to find that no one was there.

Residents weren't supposed to have a back staff door key.

He had stolen his.

He exited the hall and made his way up to his apartment. It was small, cheap, and crappy, but it was the best he could get while still having money to buy food.

He ducked into the bathroom. It was a stupid habit of his, but he always had to check. He looked in the mirror.

Eyes? Normal. Hair? Normal. Teeth? Not sharp.

He let out a sigh of relief.

The face staring back at him was Virgil, not Nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _-The beginning does not necessarily mean 083 and Virge/Nightmare are related just gonna put that out there-_
> 
> Questions? Suggestions? Critiques? Leave a comment (or a kudos if you really liked it)! I hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 5: Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapter w00t

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I made y'all wait two weeks for a mediocre chapter I'm in the school's musical so after that's over I'll have more time to make actual good stuff again

He _really_ did not want to get up.

He was still physically and mentally exhausted.

He wished he could take a day, or even a week off. But then, without his contribution to paying the rent they would get evicted, or they wouldn't be able to buy food. Plus, Nightmare would run rampant on the streets again.

Overall, the most logical decision was to get out of bed and prepare himself to go to work.

But Logan found it hard to do so.

A loud groan from the living room that he easily identified as Roman's interrupted his thoughts and made him dread getting up even more. But unfortunately, he had to.

It was time.

Logan trudged into the living room, hoping he didn't look as terrible as he felt.

"-and I knew it was a bad idea but did I say anything? No! And then this happened!"

"What's Roman going on about this time?" Logan muttered, glancing between the aforementioned and Patton.

"Why don't you look for yourself?" Roman moaned, dramatically gesturing to the television.

Logan peered over to the tv, and he felt his stomach drop at the news headline.

_'Nightmare strikes again; Heroes nowhere in sight. Two dead.'_

Roman sighed, standing up. "I'd better get ready for work. God's sake, we can't get a break anymore!"

A few seconds passed in silence.

"You ok, Lo?"

"It appears we can no longer afford to skip nights out."

"I wouldn't say that," Patton muttered, running a hand through his hazel curls.

"We are the only heroes in this town. If we do not protect it, the death toll will only go up."

"We can't overwork ourselves. That'll lead to more complications!"

Logan sighed, leaning over the front of the couch. The news was already on another story. He didn't care enough to pay attention.

Patton cautiously approached him. "Lo... do you want breakfast? I'm making waffles."

As if on cue, the smell of the food began wafting through the house and the waffle iron dinged.

Patton rushed over to tend to the meal.

It always amazed Logan how good Patton was at cooking. Nothing he made ever turned out bad. He recalled Roman calling Patton a "Food God" once. It was a silly title, but an accurate one.

Roman emerged, fully dressed and carefully running a brush through his hair.

"Smells good, Padre," He called. Patton giggled from the kitchen, tucking his bangs behind his ear. They promptly fell back over his eyes again.

"You having hair troubles?"

Patton gave a small shrug. "Lately, yeah. It's getting long again, but I don't want to cut it. It would be nice if I had a way to keep it out of my face, though."

"Fear not!" Roman dramatically shouted, pointing with his hair brush. "I have a solution for you! Wait here!"

With that, he ran off again.

Logan withheld another sigh as he leaned against the wall. "Will he ever tone down the theatrics?" The eldest groaned.

"Never!" Roman declared as he re-emerged.

"That was quick," Patton noted, entering the living room with growing curiosity for Roman's mystery solution.

He didn't have to wait long. Roman instantly swept Patton's bangs back before pinning them with a barrette.

"Ta-da!"

Patton stepped past Roman to enter the bathroom and look in the mirror. The younger was honestly surprised. The brown of the barrette contrasted pleasantly with the hazel of his hair. Plus, it effectively stopped his bangs from falling into his face.

"It looks amazing on you! And if you don't really like the barrette, I'm sure I can find some bobby pins somewhere around here-"

"I love it! Thank you so much, Ro!" He pulled his roommate into a hug.

Roman smiled warmly, returning the hug. "No problem, Pat."

Patton let go and headed back into the kitchen, arriving back at the waffle iron the second it dinged. He planted it on top of it's deliciously fluffy brethren, before filling the iron again.

"How-" Roman fumbled with words for a second before spitting out a "That was too good of timing to be a coincidence."

Patton giggled as he turned back to his roommates. "I don't know how I do it."

Roman ran a hand through his hair, grinning slightly. "I'm collecting more and more evidence for that food god theory."

"Let there be breakfast," Patton joked.

Roman chuckled while Logan sighed deeply.

 

 

Complications.

That's all he had ever caused himself. Problems and complications.

Virgil turned his music up a little, walking with as much speed as possible without bumping into someone (Look at how well that went last time) as he took a different path to work.

Because it _just so happens_ that he had overlooked the fact that the street he had chosen last night had been one he took on his way to work.

Naturally, the whole street was a mess. The crime scene was blocked off and the areas around it where crowded and chaotic. Normally it would be no problem for him; just take the other route.

He had run across Patton and co. the last time he had taken this route.

And he was in no mood to talk to Sir Sunshine if their paths crossed again.

That, and that would also mean he would end up passing by the doctor's office. He was blatantly ignoring his doctor's order, and he knew it. There was no way he was missing out on work to stay home and rest if he wasn't seriously injured.

He couldn't afford to do that.

He glanced down at his phone to check the time. He was over halfway there, and he had half an hour left. Thank God, he might actually still be on time today-

Someone tapped his shoulder.

He whipped around, yanking one earbud out.

_Guess who?_

"Whoops! Didn't realize you couldn't hear me. Sorry for startling you, kiddo."

Exactly who he didn't want to interact with. Patton was sheepishly smiling down at Virgil. At a quick glance, he noticed the taller's hair was pinned back by a barrette.

"Whatever. What do you want?"

He was visibly caught off guard by Virgil's harsh reply, but got over it quickly.

"I was just wondering... Logan, Roman and I- you remember them right?- like to get coffee at the one shop down the street from here the morning after a night out. Maybe, if you had some spare time, you could join us?"

Wow. What?

He hardly knew this man and he was actually-

"Did you come looking for me just to ask me that?"

"N-no! Well... Yes. Kind of. I just thought maybe we could be friends?" The taller gave a small smile.

" _You_... want to be friends... with _me_?"

Patton nodded.

Virgil blinked. This had to be a joke. _No one_ ever wanted to befriend the emo.

Well... almost no one.

"... Maybe. I can't make any promises."

Patton's smile grew a little bigger. "That's good enough of an answer for me! Hope to see you tomorrow. If not, it's fine. Bye!"

With that, Patton left.

Virgil checked his phone again and-

_Holy shit._

How did that conversation take 5 whole minutes?

He picked up his pace, putting his earbud back in, hoping 25 minutes would be enough to walk the last mile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here have this  
> [](https://ibb.co/mJ5yrc)  
> I draw a bit when I'm bored. Made a few more if anyone wants to see them (all of them are based on the fanfic)
> 
> Questions? Suggestions? Critiques? Leave a comment (or a kudos if you really liked it!) And if any of you have theories, don't be afraid to share! I'd love to hear them ^-^ Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 6: Day Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 083's second day at the Ring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is short and crappy and I'm sorry but I just wanted to put this out here so here you go

_A loud clang jolted the boy out of his fitful sleep._

_"Morning, 083."_

_083 glanced up at the man, and fear rushed through him._

_"P-please, d-don't hurt me again!"_

_The man cackled, grinning down at the boy like a psychopath (which, in all honesty, he probably was)._

_"Not a very quick learner, are ya? Ah well. Get used to the pain."_

_The man hauled 083 out of the cage he had been shoved into the night before. The boy struggled, trying to escape the man's grip._

_"Rule number three," he scolded. His grip was like iron; 083 found it impossible to free himself. The man easily strapped him to the same uprighted table as yesterday before placing a finger under the boy's chin, forcing 083 to meet his eyes._

_"How're you feeling?" He mocked._

_"I-it hurts-"_

_"Get used to the pain," he repeated, harshly rubbing his free hand against one of 083's wounds. The boy hissed, biting back tears._

_"There are a few things I still need to tell you about life here at the Ring. Your first Alteration will last for about a month, and I'll be the head Chambermaster for that. In other words, you'll be seeing me a lot. After this, you're gonna be moved to the Cages. About once a week, you're gonna be thrown into the Ring. Lose? You die. Win? You'll get a little... reward. Neither? You get to visit the Chambers again. Spend the night here. You might be pulled in for another Alteration further down the line. Depends on what the Big Bosses think."_

_The terminology the man was using confused 083. 'Alteration'? 'Chambermaster'? 'Big Bosses'? But he wouldn't ask._

_He couldn't ask._

_He wasn't allowed to ask._

_The 'Chambermaster' had gone to fiddle with another tool with several arms, each designed for a different purpose._

_"Just a small warning. Since you're the newest one here, the Big Bosses will probably nominate you for one or two of the newer Alterations, just to test them out. Better waste a newbie than a seasoned competitor, eh?"_

_083 shuddered. The man was using words he didn't understand, and he wouldn't stop! It scared him even more that he couldn't make much sense out of what the so-called Chambermaster was telling him._

_He couldn't ask. First rule, right? Don't speak unless spoken to? Or was that the second..._

_He was never going to survive here. He couldn't remember the rules. He hated the pain, there was no way he could get used to it. He couldn't just forget his name. 083 didn't even sound like a proper name._

_Where was his mother? She had given him to the strange men. He didn't care about how she had ignored him and scolded him over nothing and told him how bad he was when he did his best to be good and-_

'Don't cry don't cry big boys don't cry.'

_He could take it, he would be a big boy and deal with it but he did_ not like the pain it hurts so much make it stop make it stop-

_"Aww, is the wittle baby cwying?" The Chambermaster gave another predatory grin, walking back over and carrying the tool with him._

_083 whimpered in fright, struggling slightly. He hadn't meant to start crying again no no no-_

_"Honestly, I prefer the screams more."_

_The boy wriggled, trying to break free. He didn't care if he was breaking rule three, he needed to get **out of there.**_

_*"Now now, where shall I start today?"_

_He- needed- He couldn't breathe. It was hard to breathe, he was dying, he was-_

_"Calm down," The Chambermaster snarled. "Enough with your fucking struggling. Rule fucking three, remember?!"_

_Another word he didn't know._

_He fought to remember how to breathe, but the menacing-looking tool combined with the man's anger stopped him from finding any semblance of calm._

_"Fine then. How about we finish what we started, hm?"_

_What was he talking about? What was-_ 'Oh no not there again that hurts no no no-'

_The boy's sobbing was replaced with screams._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions? Suggestions? Critiques? Leave a comment (or a kudos if you really liked it)! Next chapter will be longer and less exposition-y I promise


	8. Chapter 7: Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it took me months to update, and I'm so sorry that you got a half-assed chapter out of it! Writers block has been hitting me hard. I hope you aren't too mad at me >-<

His screams were like knives, cutting through the silence that had once clothed the apartment.

He hit the floor, and lashed out in a blind panic. Something was constricting him- something was around him-

He couldn't move he couldn't breathe where was he?

He bit into the thing around him and tasted cloth.

Cloth, had he bitten clothes?

No no no, there was no one else there-

It was his blanket.

He was in his bedroom.

Well crap.

Virgil pulled himself out of his blanket, shaking the shadows of his nightmare away.

His wings had gotten summoned in his sleep again, too.

This was why he wore tank tops to bed, no chance of his wings ripping through a shirt. True he could just use his amulet to repair them, but screw that.

He sighed, desummoning his wings and running a hand through his hair. His skin was colder than normal and covered in sweat. He threw his blanket back onto his bed and stood up.

Pain shot through his side and abdomen. He hissed, startled, before lifting his tank to check some of his wounds underneath- yup, one had reopened.

Well, wasn't that fan-fucking-tastic?

He had just gotten finished re-bandaging when he heard a knock on his apartment door.

He could hear the noise complaints already.

He took one last look in the mirror to be sure that all signs of Nightmare had gone away and threw on a jacket before going to answer it.

He was met with a semi-pleasant surprise; the person at the door wasn't one of his rude, annoying neighbors, but rather the nice old lady that lived next door.

"Virgil, honey, is everything okay? I heard some dreadful screaming... You're not hurt, are you?"

"No, Mrs. B. Just a nightmare, I'll be fine."

"Ok then. Would you like some company, dear?"

"No thank you. You should probably head back to bed. I promise, I'm okay."

Mrs. B gave the man a concerned look, but acquiesced. "Don't be afraid to stop by if you need anything."

Virgil nodded and gave a "Thanks" before shutting the door.

He took a deep breath before glancing at the clock. It was almost time for him to go out for the night.

He leaned heavily against the door to steady himself. He was -not- in the mood for this. Every night he went out it wore him down even more, but he didn't know what else to do.

It would be great if he could take a break.

But he was the only villain in town. If he didn't fuck things over, who would?

He glanced down at his abdomen; the jacket and tank top covered the bandages underneath. If he breathed in too deeply, a shock of pain would dart up his side.

He's been through worse, he could handle one little gunshot wound.

Besides, he couldn't leave the goons waiting, could he?

 

 

A crack split through the air. The billboard came racing down.

"Duck!" Someone shouted.

The terrified passerby that couldn't escape the target area flung themselves to the ground and braced themselves-

The board never landed.

"Beautiful timing, Princey," A voice taunted.

Goldenrod set the billboard down when all of the civilians were out of the way and glared up at the villain, his teammates behind him.

Nightmare was perched atop a building, wings spread out behind him. He leapt from it, soaring down to the ground to meet the heroes.

"Where were you yesterday? I was soooo bored! Had to play with a few humans. They don't put up a fight like you do."

"Enough! You've taken too many lives, today we'll finally bring you to justice!"

"Y'know, you always say that but it never happens."

"Today will be the day!"

Nightmare rolled his eyes. "Then come get me."

Goldenrod drew his sword and charged, while Neuron facepalmed in the background.

Nightmare stayed where he was, smirking as Goldenrod grew closer.

When the hero was close enough to strike, Nightmare simply flicked his hand and a wall of shadow shot up. Goldenrod ran straight into it.

The villain cackled, but his amusement was cut short by something ramming into him from behind and pushing him against his own wall.

Goldenrod's sword sliced through the wall, inches away from the villains face.

Nightmare let out a startled hiss as the wall ebbed away. He blindly fired a beam of shadow, leaping aside to avoid Goldenrod's sword.

However, when he looked up again, he saw that the beam had hit the regal hero.

Spectrum let out a cry, darting forward.

The dumpster that had him pinned previously lit with a faint blue glow before it barreled towards the villain again. He leapt into the air, firing a matching beam at Neuron.

The man easily dodged the attack, rushing to Spectrum's side. The other man was kneeled by Goldenrod's prone form, trying to muster up any sort of happiness to counteract the shadows around the princely hero.

Neuron didn't speak for a moment, awkwardly trying to come up with something comforting to say. However, before the words came out, Nightmare landed beside the three. Spectrum jumped, the stripes along his suit turning a bright blue as a wall of ice rose between them, separating the heroes from the villain.

This was why Nightmare hated Spectrum most of all. Sure Goldenrod was annoying at best and Neuron was the most clever out of the three, but Spectrum? He was a wild card. What you get varies on the situation. Most of the time he was happy, which meant he could generate light, the bane of shadow. But change up the emotion, you change what you get. The villain had managed to make the hero scared this time.

As he straightened, Nightmare felt fresh pain lace through his side. Had his wounds re-opened again?!

Whatever. He'd had enough for the night. He took flight again, perching atop the wall Spectrum had made.

"That was fun, but I think that's enough playing for tonight, hm?"

Before either could retaliate, the villain released Goldenrod and took off, not bothering to look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions? Suggestions? Critiques? Theories? Leave a comment below (or a kudos if you really liked it)! Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 8: Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil has to make a decision; to go to the coffee shop, or not?
> 
>  
> 
> ... Yeah, he goes to the coffee shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is the longest chapter yet! I'm sorry, my Imagination, Stella, just took it and ran with it. But hey, I'm proud of it.
> 
> I'd like to give a quick thanks to the two people that proof-read this chapter; my boyfriend and my friend Tyler. It feels good to have a set of eyes or two go over this, especially since I finished at 3 am.
> 
> Also, I will say, I cheekily added myself into the story. I couldn't resist, I had to make myself the barista.
> 
> But enough of that, I'll say more in the end notes! Enjoy the chapter!
> 
>  
> 
> ~~(I'm implying several things in here can you tell what I'm implying)~~

He couldn't believe he was actually doing this.

Virgil ran his hand through his hair one last time, leaning over the counter in his bathroom.

He was actually going to meet up with fucking strangers at a fucking coffee shop.

He had spent the last 10 minutes stalling by attempting to comb through his perpetually messy bangs while lying to himself in the mirror (a certain someone would be proud) as he tried to work up the courage to leave his apartment.

He finally sighed, dropping his hands. He should just get it over with already.

He turned off the bathroom light, doing a quick evaluation of himself to check that he had everything he needed. Before he left, he shot a quick glance at the small locked chest tucked away on the kitchen counter. He had an urge to unlock it and grab what was inside, but he stopped himself.

He dug into his pocket, pulling out a piece of gum, chewing that instead.

With that, he left the safety and seclusion of his apartment and headed out to find the coffee shop.

On his way out of the building, he encountered the only person so far that didn't annoy him to no ends; Mrs. B.

The lady smiled as she caught sight of him. "Virgil, dear! Good morning!"

The man gave a small smile back. "Morning."

"You're up rather early. Got special plans?"

"Uh, kind of. Meeting up with someone."

Mrs. B gasped, her smile (somehow) growing larger. "You made a friend? That's wonderful!"

Virgil couldn't stop his own smile from growing. "Not necessarily..."

"At least you're meeting new people. A good young man like you deserves more happiness and opportunities than you're getting."

He couldn't help it, he laughed. "That's nice of you to say, Mrs. B." _'Though entirely wrong.'_

Mrs. B offered Virgil a hug, and the man really couldn't deny it. Before he let go, she patted his back and whispered, "You should laugh more often, too. It's a beautiful sound."

Virgil smirked, pulling away. "Have a good day, Mrs. B. Seeya later."

"You too, Virgil! I'd like to hear about your new friend when you get the chance."

"I don't doubt it."

With that, the man left. That lady was too sweet. She didn't deserve to live in a hovel like this with little shits like him. She didn't deserve to be alone apart from the few people that smiled back. She shouldn't be that happy, and that innocent, and that kind. But she was. And that just made her all the more precious to Virgil.

 

 

The second he opened the door, all he could smell was coffee beans. The bell that was hit as the door opened was barely heard over the jazzy music and the chatter of people crammed into the small and slightly claustrophobic shop. Luckily, he seemed to have just arrived after the rush, because the barista was serving the only customer in line.

He didn't know what to order. He didn't know where to sit. He wasn't sure if Patton and co. were even here yet. His anxiety was already spiking. Then, the barista had finished serving the person there and looked up at him with a smile. And _that_ was when he had the overwhelming urge to run away as fast as possible. However, he forced himself to walk up to the counter.

"Welcome to The Daily Grind, my name is Jasmine. How may I help you?"

Virgil froze up, glancing over the menu, printed on a board that hung above the counter. Half of the things on there he couldn't even recognize, a few he couldn't pronounce. He was overwhelmed by it all, when he really shouldn't have been.

The barista- Jasmine, patiently waited for the man to speak. The bell on the door rang. Finally, he choked out, "Just a plain black coffee, please."

"Size?"

"Uh, small." He placed his money on the counter, which was quickly replaced with his change.

"May I get a name with that?" She inquired, cup already in hand.

What a time for Virgil to get self-conscious. "No."

She glanced at him before chuckling. "Very well." She gave him a quick look-over before scribbling something on the cup, making him worry about what would be written. She multitasked on his drink while serving the next customers.

He stepped aside, taking the time to glance around the many tables and booths the small shop somehow contained. But before he could even finish his search, there was a light thud on the counter next to him.

"Ding ding," Jasmine joked with a smirk. "Enjoy your coffee, sir."

"Y-you too-" slipped out before Virgil could stop it. Jasmine just laughed, going back to the new customers' drinks. Out of curiosity, he glanced at was written on his cup and almost snorted.

'anonEMOus'

She had some sort of sense of humor, that was for sure.

 

 

As it turned out, finding Patton and co. was much less of a 'Where's Waldo?' than Virgil expected it to be. He took a deep breath. None of them had noticed him yet. Patton was happily chatting away about something Virgil couldn't hear from his current position, while Logan appeared uninterested and Roman looked like there was nowhere else he's rather be but in bed (and Virgil knew that feeling well).

He took yet another deep breath as he approached the booth they had chosen. Before he had even gotten there, he had been noticed by a particularly excited Patton. The man jumped in his seat, face somehow brightening even more, as he rapidly waved at the emo. The others? Well, their reactions were much, much different. Logan nodded in acknowledgement, but remained expressionless. And Roman, Roman's exhausted-and-done look changed to a disgusted-and-done one.

Unfortunately for both of the two, Patton and Logan already filled up one side of the table, leaving Virgil to cautiously perch on the edge of the booth on the side half-occupied by Roman. Instantly the taller man scooted as far away as he could.

"Virgil! You actually came! I'm so glad you're here!" Patton greeted, practically bouncing in his seat from excitement. Geez, the man was almost glowing with happiness.

Logan kept it short, giving him a quick "Greetings." before taking a rather long drink from his coffee.

Roman, however, leaned closer to Patton and hissed, "You actually invited him?! I can't believe this. You never told us! I did not consent to this-"

"Relax, Roman! No need to be rude to our new friend."

" _That_ mess is no friend of mine!"

"I can hear you, y'know. And the feeling is mutual."

Roman scoffed, offended and shocked into silence. Virgil smirked as he took a sip of his coffee.

Mmm, bitter and dark like his soul, though the gum did mess with the taste a little.

"So, Virgil," Patton began, and all temporary comfort was out the window, "Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Seeing as we just met and all, and someone-" He pointedly looked to Roman, "-is discriminating a little?"

"I am not discriminating!"

Patton opened his mouth to say something, but gave up and closed it again.

Virgil sighed, rolling his eyes. "I'm not much of a talker. Plus, my life is about as boring as it gets. There's nothing to tell." He was just avoiding the question and he knew it.

The man caught Patton pointedly glance at Roman again, but the taller man either missed it or chose to ignore it.

The silent tension between the four was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Roman clearly wanted nothing to do with the situation, while Logan remained neutral. Patton's desperation for the group to get along was clear. Virgil took another sip of his coffee, watching Patton nudge Logan and stare at the other man with pleading eyes.

Logan sighed, turning his attention to the man in front of him. "So, Virgil. You don't seem very... enthusiastic. Why show up if you clearly didn't wish to come?"

Well crap. The spectacled man had seen right through him.

"I honestly don't know. I'm still trying to figure that one out myself."

Logan chuckled(?) as he took another drink. Virgil's headache was only growing, being around these people. Why didn't he stay at home?

"You have any friends? Besides us, of course," Patton inquired.

Virgil snorted. _'We're not quite friends yet.'_

"What friends?"

"Sounds about right," he heard Roman growl, which earned a strangely father-like look of scolding from Patton.

The enthusiastic man turned back to Virgil. "That's kind of sad. I would've thought you'd know more people!"

"Well, when you're an unapproachable piece of garbage still stuck in the emo phase, not many people want to stick around."

Well, there was Mrs. B, but she loved everyone. And of course... No. He wasn't going to think about that right now.

Roman bit back a snort beside him, Logan stared at him inquisitively, and Patton just gasped.

"Don't you dare say that about yourself! I bet you're a wonderful person, and people have no right to treat you badly off of appearances!"

Virgil thought he caught another pointed stare towards Roman, to which the man scoffed.

"Thanks, but words won't help much."

"We can still help introduce you to more people. Oh, have you met Jasmine, the barista- Of course you have! Silly me. But she's really sweet and funny!"

Virgil held back an eye roll, taking another sip of his coffee. "Yeah, no thanks."

Patton seemed saddened for a full second. How could this man be so happy? It was already giving him reminders of a certain someone.

Virgil played with his gum in the inside of his cheek. It was barely helping, but any sort of help was better than none.

He looked up to find Patton staring at him, eyes full of curiosity. He did not like that look. That look meant questions. He didn't want questions.

He shifted uncomfortably, gripping his cup a little tighter.

"Are you chewing gum?"

Fuck.

"Uh... yeah?"

"Can I have some?"

It was an innocent request by an innocent man. It should have been simple to decline.

"I-it's not the kind of gum you'd like."

Double fuck.

He felt triplet looks of confusion turn on him.

_'You just had to fuck it up, didn't ya?'_

Patton made to ask another question, but Virgil cut it off with a single "No." before taking a long drink from his cup.

"Well, someone's being shady for no reason," Roman muttered under his breath.

"Well, someone's having a hard time pulling their head out of their ass," Virgil muttered back with the same inflection.

"Language, kiddo!" Patton scolded.

"Emo Nightmare."

"Wanna-be Pretty Boy."

Roman growled. Virgil gave into the childish urge to stick his tongue out at the other, and got the same in return.

"Alright, kiddos. That's enough fighting," Patton warned, glancing in between the two.

Virgil smirked and obliged. Roman was a bit more hesitant, but acquiesced.

Not wanting the silence to return, but not wanting childish arguments to break out, Patton looked back and forth between Logan and Roman, quietly begging one of them to say something. Logan rolled his eyes, but delivered.

"Virgil, how old are you?"

The man in question looked up, shocked. He obviously hadn't expected the inquiry.

"Actually, I'm kind of curious as well," Roman spoke up. "You look and act like a 15 year old, but there's no way you can be that young. At least you can't be older than Pat-"

"I'm 26."

"By the beard of Zeus, you're older than Patton!"

Virgil raised an eyebrow.

"24," Patton said with a sheepish smile. Virgil wasn't expecting that either. The man seemed at least a few years older.

"I am 29, and the oldest, if you happen to be wondering," Logan contributed.

"I was not, but ok."

"And Roman's 28!" Patton added, to which Roman smirked.

"I can speak for myself, Pat."

"Again, I didn't care."

"Hey, getting to know each other is the best way to become close friends. If you don't have much to talk about, we can tell you about us?" Patton suggested, looking at Virgil with hope in his eyes.

He had no idea why he was here. And he had no idea why he was agreeing to this. But there he was, sitting at a table, drinking coffee with three strangers- well, they really weren't strangers anymore, where they? Acquaintances.-, and actually finding himself mildly enjoying himself. It turns out that Roman was capable of expressing other emotions beside disgust and hatred, and Logan was capable of having facial expressions in the first place. They were small, but they were expressions.

He didn't even realize how he had lost track of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to give myself a schedule for updating this. Expect a new chapter every Sunday, at the very least. And if it doesn't happen, feel free to scream at me in the comments.
> 
> I've been going through some things lately, and writing has become harder to do yet so much more needed. I'm sorting everything out, no need to worry.
> 
> On a side note, I cannot count how many times I typoed Virgil while writing this. I don't know how tired I must have gotten to mess up one name so many times! (But, when my boyfriend was proofreading, he accidentally said virgin so I feel a bit better about myself).
> 
> I'm sorry these notes are long but I have a lot to say this time around. But anyways, questions? Suggestions? Critiques? Theories? Leave a comment (or a kudos if you really liked it)! Hope you enjoyed, see you next time!


	10. Chapter 9: Sheep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything seemed so pleasant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> iT'S STILL SUNDAY WHERE I AM SO IT COUNTS
> 
> Anyways, thanks to my boyfriend and buddy Tyler for proofreading again! Don't have much to say this time, so enjoy!

"I'm telling you, I don't trust him!"

"Would you please just listen to me?"

Logan sighed, turning up the news in an attempt to block out his roommates' argument.

"I already have, but I just... I have a bad feeling about all of this."

"So you're going to alienate Virgil because of a feeling!?"

"Something's wrong! Why would he have left that quickly?"

"You don't know why either!"

Up the volume went.

"I can't believe this."

"I can't believe this either! I thought you'd be better than that, Roman."

"Excuse me?"

"We were getting along just fine, what happened?!"

"YOU were getting along with him."

"Roman, don't you dare-"

The mute button was hit.

"Can you two calm down?"

"We're bothering Logan. We should just stop."

"I'm trying to warn you, Patton!"

"Enough. Please, Roman. Let's just get ready for work."

"I'm telling you, there's something off with Vir-"

"Roman. Let it go."

Both pairs of eyes turned to Logan. The eldest wasn't even looking at his roommates; his gaze was focused on the news channel. He turned the volume back on, but kept the volume a bit louder than normal.

The message was clear.

Roman gave up, retreating into his room to get ready. Patton sighed, sitting down next to Logan on the couch. The two sat in silence, the news and the sound of Roman angrily singing from his bedroom filling the space.

A sniffle cut through it.

Logan glanced at the man beside him, a unique fear not many experience flooding through him.

Patton was crying.

_'Oh dear. Feelings.'_

He turned down the news, mind racing to think of a way to comfort Patton.

"I-is everything okay?"

No. Everything was clearly not ok.

"I hate it when we fight," came the quiet response.

The tune of 'Cruella De Vil' came drifting into the living room from behind Roman's door.

"I just w-want us all to get along... Why is it so hard?"

Logan gently (and rather awkwardly) placed a hand on Patton's shoulder in an attempt to soothe the younger. Patton reacted by scooting closer to Logan and curling into the taller man's side. Logan stiffened, highly uncomfortable by the situation, but let Patton maintain close contact.

"S-sorry. I just... I need a hug right now."

Logan did his best to administer, wrapping his arms around the smaller. He was still rigid in his movements, and not all that comfortable, but Patton didn't mind. He lingered in the hug for a moment before sitting up. Logan gladly released him, hoping that his small contribution would be enough to satisfy Patton's emotional turmoil for the time being. Once Roman calmed down, he would be able to give much better support.

"We should probably get ready for work, Lo."

"Yes, I believe so."

The two stood. Patton left for his room, while Logan lingered in front of the tv a little longer.

It was obvious that lack of proper amounts of sleep was wearing them all down. Along with extra stress and more activity, it was just getting more and more unhealthy.

_'Wonder Team saves the day yet again!'_

But at what cost?

 

 

His mind wandered again for the umpteenth time that day. Logan couldn't quite seem to stay focused. Luckily, it wasn't a very busy day. He was glad of that. Less social interaction was nice. But unfortunately, being a receptionist for a big company meant talking to people while pretending to be fine was unavoidable.

 

 

The current job was library duty. It didn't bother Patton much. Most of the time, people there were nice and respectful. His employer was kind and understanding. The tasks he had to do were simple. But it didn't pay much. He glanced at the clock on the wall. Two more hours and he was off to his second job of the day at Turbo N' Tasty, one of the worst yet most popular fast food joints in town.

 

 

He saw the looks. Roman's boss still couldn't let go of his late arrival the day before. It had almost happened again. The witch of a man seemed to be searching for any little thing he could use to fire Roman. But luckily for him, he didn't think he had to search for much longer.

 

 

He was late. He knew it before he even saw his boss, Virgil was late. The man was terrified. He knew he wouldn't be fired. Oh, no. That would be too merciful. Maybe he'd have his paycheck docked without warning. Or have to stay extra hours. Or he would be put on toilet duty. Maybe even toilet duty after Taco Tuesday. But as scared as he was, he couldn't leave. This crappy gas station was the only place that would take him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit shorter than I wanted it to be, but fear not, for hopefully now that I actually know what I'm going to write next there'll be a lot more!
> 
> Questions? Suggestions? Critiques? Theories? Leave a comment down below (or a kudos if you really liked it)! Hope you enjoyed, see you next time!


	11. Chapter 10: Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's holding on as he's ripped from the room  
> Engulfed in flames but they'll be out soon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was edited by my fabulous boyfriend yet again.
> 
> I'm sick and out of muse, so let's revisit 083 shall we?
> 
> (WARNING: Non-consensual drug usage, I guess)

_What day was this? He didn't know. But compared to the horrid Chambermaster, 083's mother was a complete saint._

_The boy just wanted to get out. He didn't care. He could take his mother's treatment, as long as he didn't have to ever see the Chambers or his Chambermaster ever again. He could handle being called a freak, as long as it wasn't accompanied by a blade. He could handle sinister glances, as long as a gleam of some new horror wasn't flashed with it. He could handle being alone, as long as he wasn't in pain._

_He could- That wasn't his Chambermaster._

_None of the people that just walked in were his Chambermaster._

_The five men each looked him over from within his cage, each with expressions that gave 083 varying levels of fear._

_083's Chambermaster stood in the doorway. "So, you thinking what I'm thinking?"_

_The first leaned closer, staring the boy straight in the eye. 083 shuddered at the look. It was ruthless. It was hateful. It was judgmental._

_"This is the one?"_

_"Yup," the Chambermaster replied with a snort._

_"He's weak."_

_"Exactly!"_

_The other men exchanged looks, some glancing at the Chambermaster in confusion._

_The one in the lead cleared his throat. "Todd, I hope you realize that what we have been gifted cannot be distributed so freely. If used incorrectly, it would be a complete waste of the time and effort it took to get to us."_

_"I am perfectly aware."_

_"And you chose this to use it on?"_

_"Listen, Daniel. He's not as weak as he looks. He's been here for half a month, and his tiny malnourished ass hasn't died yet."_

_Half a month, did that mean his 'Alteration' would be over soon?_

_"Have you even tried any injections on him yet?"_

_"Well, no-"_

_"Then no."_

_"Aw come on! I thought long and hard on this, I know what I'm doin'!"_

_"A test, then. We'll try one of the more... easy to find injections on him. We will choose which one. If he survives without too much damage done, we'll give him the v4051. If not, I'll check in with our other Chambermasters and find someone who_ is _worthy."_

_"Deal."_

_With that, all of the men left. 083 was even more confused. 'Injection'. What on earth was that? He really didn't want to find out, but he knew he would be finding out anyways. He swallowed, curling back into a ball._

_The door flung open, startling 083. His Chambermaster was at his cage within seconds, pulling him out of it. The boy gave a yelp, but froze. He was strapped onto the table much tighter than before. The men had entered as well, the leader carrying a strange tool. It was much smaller than the tools the Chambermaster used, and had only one long, thin point on an end._

_The head man opened his mouth to speak, but the Chambermaster had grabbed the tool out of his hands and interrupted him. "You shouldn't doubt me, Danny! Just watch."_

_The five men's faces held matching expressions of distaste, but they stayed quiet._

_The Chambermaster gave 083 one of his signature predatory grins as he approached. The boy whimpered, but didn't move._

_The man lifted the tool, gently pushing on one end. A strange liquid from within squirted out from the tip from within. The Chambermaster chuckled before poking the tip into the boy's arm._

_At first nothing happened. The room was quiet, and 083 was left fearful of what was to come._

_Then came the burning. The sizzling, painful burning. Like fire was running through his veins. He gasped and whimpered, squirming. None of the men before him reminded him of Rule 3. They just watched._

_Clawing. Like every single tool the Chambermaster had ever used was tearing into his skin. It was spreading. All through his arm, into his chest, it burned and clawed._

_It was a new kind of hell. A hell from within._

_And it was only getting worse and more diverse by the second._

_"P-please!" 083 yelped, unsure of what he was even saying. "Take it out, take it out!"_

_The men watched, the five all either stonefaced or curious while the Chambermaster looked excited._

_083 was left in his hellish suffering for what seemed like forever, new sensations pilling onto the ones before finally, it started to fade._

_The men only left when 083 had stopped screaming in entirety. The Chambermaster threw the boy into his cage, shooting him a savage glance before leaving as well._

_083 was left to cry himself to sleep, an uncomfortable ache in his joints._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahahaha I'm a terrible person.
> 
> Questions? Suggestions? Critiques? Theories? Leave a comment (or a kudos if you really liked it)! See you next time!


	12. Chapter 11: Working it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a hard day's night  
> And I've been working like a dog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yadda yadda, boyfriend and Tyler, I ran out of brain juice have a chapter.

His patience was running thin and he knew it.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but the manager is away currently. I'm certain I can handle any complaints you have."

"Don't try to talk to me like that! You're just a stupid desk worker. I demand to see the manager personally to deliver my complaints!"

"Our manager is out of town," Logan repeated for the umpteenth time.

"Did you even call him?"

"Her, and no. We were instructed not to call unless it was an emergency."

"Oh, so my opinion as a client isn't important to you?"

"It is important, but it is not an emergency."

"Call him. Or her, whatever. I don't care."

Logan took a deep breath, desperately clinging to the last bits of his calm as he dialed the manager's number. The lady who had been badgering him for the past five minutes tapped the top of the counter impatiently, an irritated look on her face. Logan kept his eyes away from her as he waited for his manager to pick up.

_'Hey, this is Mandy! I'm currently busy doing important things, so unless something's on fire or someone important is in the hospital please don't try to get in contact with me at this time. I'll be back soon, don't worry!'_

Logan hung up without leaving a message, resisting a smirk at his manager's voicemail. "As I have told you, she couldn't pick up due to being away on important business affairs. If you would still like to let her know and will still refuse my help in the situation, I can take a note so that she can get in contact with you upon her return."

"No! I demand to speak with her now! You're not trying hard enough!"

"I have done everything I can, miss. Either tell me about your complaints and wait for a response, or leave," Logan stated as plainly as he could, unable to keep annoyance from seeping into his tone.

"And now you're telling me to leave! What kind of-"

The phone rang. The lady nearly lunged for it herself, but Logan intercepted the phone.

"Hello?"

_"What happened?"_

His manager had called back.

"A client has a complaint, and wanted to talk to you personally."

_"I'm busy right now."_

"As I have told her."

_"Couldn't she talk to you about it? Or leave a note?"_

"I proposed both of those ideas, which were each shot down."

_"Well-"_

A voice was heard in the background. The manager responded, but Logan didn't hear it.

_"Well, tell her that I don't have time for this right now! I need to go."_

With that, she hung up.

The lady was instantly glaring daggers at Logan.

"What did she say?"

"The _exact same thing I told you._ She's busy and can't deal with this right now, either talk to me about your complaint or leave a note."

"I can't believe this. What kind of company are you even running here? I could go somewhere else, y'know. Somewhere where I don't have to deal with your lousy management or crappy underpaid assistants like you-"

He snapped.

Logan rose to his feet, slamming his hands on the desk. The lady jumped.

"Oh, please do. Curse some other company with your ignorance and foolishness. You're going to get the exact same reaction. I don't know what you expected, but companies in the real world don't drop everything because you think you have something important to say. I gave you a chance to have your opinion heard and considered, but you insisted upon being a nuisance. I suggest you leave before I have you escorted out, you... fimicolous fussock!"

The lady gaped at him, speechless for a few seconds. Rage flared across her face. She slapped Logan before stomping out of the building.

Logan crashed back into his chair and took a deep breath, one hand over his cheek. A gentle hand was placed on his shoulders and he looked up to see the manager's sister, Rachel, looking down at him.

Well, sh-

"Do you need to take a quick break?"

"That would be much appreciated," He muttered.

Rachel motioned for Logan to follow her, and the man had to oblige.

He had no clue how Rachel had ended up in the front area in time to see his outburst, but he knew both her and her sister were kind women. He hopefully wouldn't get into much trouble.

Rachel led him into the break room, which was completely empty. Her expression was sympathetic, but her tone was stern.

"What's gotten into you? I've never seen you yell at anyone like that before."

Logan sighed. "My apologies. I've been rather stressed recently, it slipped out of me. I will do my best to withhold from such behavior in the future, and I understand if you wish to let Amanda know when she is available again."

Rachel sighed as well, leaning against a counter. "I won't tell Mandy if you don't want me to. But tell me honestly, Logan. How much sleep have you been getting?"

He hesitated. "I... will admit, I haven't been getting the typical eight to nine hours-"

"How much sleep have you been getting?"

"... Four hours or less a day..."

"Four? Jesus Christ, Logan. That's definitely not like you."

Logan looked away, but kept his posture straight.

"What's going on?"

"Private matters."

Rachel sighed again, but didn't press. "Take as much time as you need. Amanda won't hear of this if I can help it, BUT!" She forced him to meet her green eyes. "You need to get more sleep, mister. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Promise me you will."

"I promise I'll try to get more sleep."

Rachel gave him one last look before leaving him alone in the break room.

Logan sat on a chair and hid his head in his hands.

 

 

He swore he could feel the shadow pass over him.

"Mr. Reed."

Roman looked up at the man. "Yes, sir?"

"How much work have you gotten done over the past... Hm, how long have you been here? Hour."

Roman glanced at his monitor and the papers on his desk. Uh oh.

"Not much," He replied quietly.

"What was that?"

"Not much," He repeated, not looking back up at his boss. If the man saw the anger and hatred in his eyes he was dead.

Normally he wouldn't feel threatened by others, but his boss? Taller than him, crueler than him, knew how to fight without aid of powers. He'd fantasized about summoning his sword and running the man through on several occasions, but morals and the sake of secret identity prevented him from doing such.

"Not much. Not much? Roman Reed, you're on thin ice. First not showing up on time, and now a decline in work? Not to mention you were sleeping on the job yesterday."

Wha- Sleeping on the job? He did no such- Well, actually...

"I highly recommend that you take this job seriously. One more strike, and you're out. Got it?"

He nodded.

"I want to hear it out loud, and see it too!"

Roman swallowed his pride and anger and met his boss' eyes. "Yes, sir."

The man glared at him before leaving. Roman glared right back as soon as his boss had turned around.

He hated this stupid job, with this stupid boss, with all of this stupid work. How was he on his last strike again already!? He was in no mood to grovel at the witch's feet for another chance. The brute was probably expecting it by now. No doubt he'd have a freaking camera to record it.

Roman sped through his work, not caring if he did a bad job. He was more focused on ways to get back at his boss without being caught or fired. If they were legal, it was even better. When he was off the company's WiFi he could Google search some ideas, too. Keep a few revenge ideas on hand too, in case he was fired. He would get revenge on his boss, if it was the last thing he did.

_He watched. And he waited._

 

 

He smiled, remaining as polite as he could.

"I'm on a diet, what kinda stuff is in those?"

"Our burgers are made with 100% real meat and fresh vegetables!" Patton replied, as he was taught to. He knew he was lying. Being forced to lie. Nothing about anything on the Turbo N' Tasty menu was healthy in the slightest. He hated it.

"Yeah, sure, bud," The man in front of him responded, placing an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. "And have you ever actually seen it to be sure?"

"Babe, he's a cashier. Pretty young one too, doubt even if he had seen it he wouldn't be able to tell."

Ouch.

He continued to smile, pretending that didn't hurt a little. "We have plenty of other options, if burgers don't suit you. Take all the time you need to order!"

"How about a salad?" The girl asked.

"Do you see how overpriced those are?" Her boyfriend exclaimed.

"Oh shit. Damn you guys must be proud of the crap you put out."

Patton was in no way proud.

"Of course!"

The couple shared a look. "He _is_ a retard," The girl whispered.

"It's like he's running off a fucking script," The man muttered.

It was getting harder to smile.

"Look, kid. Admit it, none of the stuff here is good for you, is it?" The boyfriend demanded.

"I'm 24," Came the quiet response. He was taught how to respond to these kinds of people, but he just couldn't lie to them anymore.

"I didn't fucking ask."

The girl rolled her eyes. "We're not gonna chew you out, y'know. If we could eat here, or some other fast food place, what would you choose?"

"Daniel's Drive-In Dinner, just down the street. Cheaper and healthier," He whispered quickly, feeling his smile straining.

The couple nodded to him in thanks and pity, leaving the building.

Patton took a deep breath. That one was coming out of his paycheck, he knew it, but he didn't mind as much as he probably should. Daniel's had always been a favorite of his.

They weren't hiring.

He glanced at his watch. Just one more hour. Then he was across the street being a Greeter for a supermarket. Do that for a few hours.

Go home.

Make dinner.

Fight Nightmare.

Get as much sleep in as he could.

Wake up.

Coffee shop.

Work more.

Repeat.

 

 

He heard the footsteps before he saw the owner of them.

"Do I even need to say anything?"

"No, ma'am."

Virgil turned to face the bitch that was his boss. He found 'Chihuahua' to be an accurate comparison; she was small yet feisty, annoying, kinda cute but extremely hostile. The woman was shorter than him, even in heels, and that was an achievement.

The woman glared up at him with an unknown, hellish fury in her eyes. "Do I smell coffee?"

Okay, maybe bloodhound was accurate as well.

"Uh..."

"Instead of coming to work, you decided to kick back and have a good ol' cup of Joe, huh?"

"It's not-"

"And is that-"

She paused as she drew closer. Virgil's discomfort was clear.

"Again?!"

"Ma'am, please-"

"Ugh. I guess it's an improvement, anyways. Get to work."

She stomped off, her heels clicking on the tile floor.

Virgil sighed, getting into uniform. He couldn't people today, he really couldn't. He wasted all of his people tolerance in that damned coffee shop.

It was a typical day. Fatasses and tourists popped in to get gas receipts and buy snacks for the road, his boss would check in occasionally and bitch to him about something he did wrong, or something that happened in her life that had no correlation with him ("I could've managed an entire company, but no! Father made me manage a gas station chain with losers like you."), or anything really.

"You need to dye that hair of yours. The punk aesthetic isn't going to work here."

He kept his mouth shut. He'd tried dying the purple out so many times. It never. Fucking. Worked.

"And fix that makeup. Looking like you rose from the grave won't help you any, hun."

He wanted to say something. He really did, but he needed this job way too fucking much. He was lucky he was even here.

"Smile when you're dealing with customers. It'll make you seem polite and friendly."

"If you don't lie about that then why should I?"

Shit.

"Excuse me?"

SHIT.

"You did not just say that to me."

SHITSHITSHITSHITSHIT-

"U-uh-"

"Virgil, I hope you remember your place in this establishment."

"Sorry, m-"

"I'm talking. Don't try and talk back to me, mister. I doubt you can afford to-"

The door opened and a customer walked in.

THANK THE HEAVENS.

"This isn't over," his boss snarled before walking back out.

The man that had entered glanced at Virgil. "What was that about?"

"Nothing."

He still looked curious, but didn't press.

"I'm here for a gas receipt?"

Oh. He hadn't realized one had printed. Virgil gave the man his receipt.

"Is there anything else you need?"

"Nah, I should be good. I'm just visiting from out of town."

He didn't ask.

"Hope you have a nice day!" The man said with a smile before leaving.

Virgil could feel a pair of eyes glaring daggers into him.

The man had only delayed the inevitable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions? Suggestions? Critiques? Theories? Leave a comment (or a kudos if you really liked it)! Hope you enjoyed, see you next time!


	13. Chapter 12: The Rat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmare finds himself a little help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Proofread by Tyler and my boyfriend as usual. This one was a fun one for me to write, am a proud mama.

His chosen target left the building.

A figure watched and waited.

The man clutched his briefcase closer as he headed down the darkened street, on his way home.

He wished he could say he was going home to a wife and kids, to a freshly cooked homemade dinner, to a modest yet comfortable home. But no. He was going home to loneliness, to re-heated food, to a small and dingy apartment.

Of course, the watcher knew that. The watcher had kept an eye on his target for the past week. And the watcher needed him.

The man froze as a noise came from the alley beside him. Now, he had always been a mouse of a man. The fact that it didn't quite sound like a simple animal both made him even more curious and made him want to run.

He was alone. Well, not really, there were other people on the streets, but he knew none of them.

He took a deep breath, taking a few steps into the alley. Nothing. The man sighed, turning to exit the alley before people thought of him as a fool.

Something cold clamped around his mouth and pulled him into the alley.

He froze in the grip of whoever held him, wondering if this was how he died.

A voice unlike any other he'd ever heard- it was inhuman, it was demonic- spoke up behind him.

"Why hello there. I have a little something to ask of you."

Oh no oh no oh no- He was a good Christian man, he wasn't going to give his soul to this demon-

"Well, I mean, you're doing it either way."

He was doomed.

"Listen, I need you to be a little rat for me. If you don't want to do it, I _guess_ I can't force you... But I will have to inform you that I'm not in a merciful mood."

He swallowed, nodding his head the best he could with the _thing_ 's hand over his mouth.

"Good. If I let you go, do you promise not to make noise or run?"

Again, he attempted a nod.

The thing purred, releasing the man. He stepped away from the thing, before realizing how that could be seen as trying to escape, and froze. His breath caught in his throat. The thing didn't seem to care.

"You're going to be a good little rat. Got it?"

He felt something brush up against him from behind. He bit his lip to hold in a startled noise, nodding. The thing came up beside him, and his brown eyes met glowing purple.

"And you're going to do what I say."

He nodded again, watching the thing circle him. It dragged a leathery wing along him, eyes looking over him with an indiscernible emotion.

"Good Ratty. I hope I can trust you. Now, what I need-" It paused, the tip of it's wing drifting over the man's briefcase, "-is help getting into that little bank of yours."

 

 

A bank.

It was a freaking bank?

When the heroes arrived on the scene, it was already in chaos. No alarm was sounded, and surprisingly there was no sign of a break-in.

Goldenrod rushed inside with Spectrum on his heels, while Neuron actually stopped to question an employee as to what actually happened.

"He just walked in!" The frightened teller whimpered. "The cameras were off and no alarms were pulled, and I don't know why or how."

Neuron nodded. "Thank you, ma'am. We should-" He glanced around to see that he was the only member of his team outside.

"Cervicalgic witlings!" He hissed, running inside as well.

"Reveal yourself, fiend!" Goldenrod boomed, sword summoned and at his side.

"I would prefer if we... 'stick together', as it's said?" Neuron muttered.

"Whoops! I thought you were with us, sorry!" Spectrum apologized with a sheepish smile.

Before any of the heroes could say another word, a very clear, distorted "Oh fuck." rang out from near the bank vaults. Instantly, Goldenrod was off in the direction of the call, with his teammates close behind.

"Ratty, take care of them."

The leading hero faltered. 'Ratty'?

"Goldenrod, would you-" Neuron began, but paused as a man stepped into the doorway. His eyes were wide and terrified as he blocked off the door.

Goldenrod approached him, clearing his throat. "Stand aside, civilian. This is Super business."

The man audibly gulped, shaking his head slightly.

Neuron glanced between his teammates in confusion, catching an equally confused look from Spectrum and missing an also equally confused look from Goldenrod.

"Please, stand aside," Goldenrod tried again.

The man shook his head again. "Y-you can't- I can't let you."

_'This must be 'Ratty', then. Certainly looks like a rat.'_

"We can ensure your safety if you let us through to take care of Nightmare."

'Ratty' didn't falter.

"I don't want to have to force you."

"Goldenrod," Spectrum scolded. "He's just an innocent person, we can't hurt him."

"Are there any other ways into the vaults that we can take?" Neuron suggested, already scanning the area.

'Ratty' shook his head. "O-only one. I can't let you in."

Goldenrod sighed in annoyance. "Please! We're trying to save the day here!"

The man cowered slightly but didn't move.

Goldenrod growled, sheathing his sword and advancing towards 'Ratty'. The man yelped, grabbing onto the doorframe as if it would save his life.

"No, Golde-"

"What, are you hurting my rat?"

Before the hero could lay a hand on 'Ratty', Nightmare poked his head out from behind the doorframe. Goldenrod jumped, unsheathing his sword.

"I don't appreciate it. It took me a while to find this one, I'd rather not lose him so quickly."

"How dare you drag a civilian into your evil schemes?"

Nightmare shrugged, smirking at the heroes. "I've already got what I wanted." He lifted a bag of stolen money just to prove his point. "Now, you're going to let me get away with it."

"I hope you realize we are not simply going to let you carry stolen goods away without attempting to intervene," Neuron demurred.

Nightmare absentmindedly shifted the weight of the bag he carried, pretending to think. "Hmm, let me see. Why ever would I think otherwise?"

He dropped the obvious façade, sneering at the heroes.

"Well, Ratty?"

The unwilling henchman whimpered, before lunging at the closest person; Goldenrod. The hero let out a cry, stumbling backwards.

'Ratty' went straight from Goldenrod to Neuron. The new target barely dodged and almost lost his footing. Spectrum cowered, the stripes in his suit flashing bright blue.

When the heroes looked up, a shadow darted out the door, 'Ratty' trailing behind.

They rushed out, but both villain and henchman were gone.

 

 

6,280.

The number swam in his head.

Just shoving as much cash as he could into a bag got him $6,280.

_Six. Grand._

Virgil leaned back onto the wall.

He felt terrible about it.

He had to use someone in a way he wasn't very comfortable with to get it.

He had taken advantage of the heroes' morals to get away with it.

But he was the villain, right? That was expected of him. It was his job to be evil, and he was just getting paid for it.

Six thousand dollars.

Virgil took a deep breath, closing his eyes so he couldn't see the stacks of bills around him.

Filthy fucking money, but it would be worth it.

 

 

Spectrum sighed as he left the scene alongside his team. The police could finish taking care of everything.

Thoughts swarmed his head. Who was 'Ratty'? What did Nightmare do to that poor man? Where was he? Was he safe? What did Nightmare want with the money? The villain had never robbed a bank before. And there were even more bags left behind, like he had planned on escaping with more than he had.

Spectrum glanced at his teammates. Neuron looked annoyed, while Goldenrod looked outright furious.

He sighed again, trying to hold back tears. He didn't have to look down to know that the stripes on his suit had turned a deep blue.

 

 

Everyone else was asleep. But Patton couldn't.

He stared out the window beside his bed and into the night sky. His mind just couldn't rest. He didn't dare wake up either of his roommates; they needed sleep too. And so, the moon was his new friend.

Well, an old friend was there, too.

It caught his eye. The most brilliant star in the sky, right next door to the moon.

He remembered that star. He remembered looking up to the sky in his childhood and seeing it there. He called it his lucky star. It was there before or after some of the best moments of his life.

Well, it was. One day, one of the lowest days of his life, it was there. Then it was gone. And nothing got better for a while.

He hadn't seen it after that for a long time. Or had he just stopped looking?

But it was showing up again. It was there a week or so ago, the night after they had met Virgil, but he didn't think it would be his star. Now he knew it was.

He wanted to tell someone about his star. Roman would probably think it was silly. Or go along with it. Patton didn't know.

But Logan? He knew what the eldest's response would be. Stars don't bring luck. You can't own a star. The star Patton looked at when he was young could be completely different than the one he looked at now.

He knew it was true. Logan was always right about that kind of stuff. But it was fun to pretend. To just think it.

That the brightest star in the sky that danced around the moon was his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~You can thank my boyfriend for the little star thing at the end there~~
> 
> So, uh, a few days ago I was thinking to myself, I don't really have a set world for the story? A couple coin flips, mustard smears, jokes, and struggles later, and we have a map! https://s15.postimg.cc/x8bor23gb/mainland.png  
> Grey areas are mountains, tan are warmer, desert-y areas, brown are more moderate in temperature/forested areas. The weird looking star things mark capital cities. The story takes place in the capital city of Kaior. 
> 
> Questions? Suggestions? Critiques? Juicy, juicy theories? Leave a comment (or a kudos if you really liked it)! Hope you enjoyed, see you next chapter!


	14. Chapter 13: A Rewarding Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> N O T E X A C T L Y F I L L E R

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary made by my delightful boyfriend, who also helped proofread. Tyler also proofread as usual.
> 
> School starts up tomorrow. Y a y. So if an upload is late, or lacking in quality/quantity, that's why.

Virgil sighed as he entered the coffee shop yet again. It had become a routine of his to visit in the mornings. Patton, Roman, and Logan were nearly always there. And if they weren't? He got to work early.

He wouldn't call them friends at this point. It took a lot for someone to be considered a friend in his book. But he didn't particularly dislike their company?

Logan was fairly quiet, and that was appreciated. But when he did talk, it was mostly tangents or rants. Of which Virgil had no taste for.

Patton was kind enough, but he could get overbearing quickly. That, and the younger man was far too trusting. One encounter and he was already one of Patton's "best friends".

And Roman...

Oh Roman.

Where should he even start?

Roman was gorgeous. That was obvious from day one.

His eyes always had a sparkle to them, his hair always perfect, his whole body chiseled to perfection, when he flashed a smile the whole room lit up.

But he was the biggest jackass Virgil had ever met, and that was _seriously_ saying something.

He realized that he had been literally standing there thinking to himself and approached the counter.

Jasmine smiled at him, clearly holding back laughter. He shot her a 'don't say anything' glare, and she gave a small nod.

"So, what's new today Gerard Way?"

Virgil gave a small snort. The barista still didn't know his name, but it seemed like she was having plenty of fun coming up with nicknames for the emo.

Oh well. He wasn't gonna stop her.

"Nothing much. You?"

"Ehh, nothing entertaining. The usual?"

"Yup."

He hesitated before putting the money on the counter, but a thought popped into his head.

He didn't have to worry about finances. He had over six thousand dollars now.

He resisted a smirk as he put the bills on the counter. No more stressing about paying the bills for a bit. No more cutting corners to get by. No more feeling guilty for grabbing coffee in the mornings.

Well, at least for now.

Jasmine placed his coffee on the side of the counter, muttering "Boop" as she did so.

Virgil rolled his eyes as he took his coffee, cup labeled 'MCRying', and headed over to the table his companions always seemed to sit at.

He heard Roman's rant before he made it to the table. Logan appeared irritated, while Patton listened intently, a concerned look on his face.

"'Sup, nerds?" Virgil greeted as had become his custom, interrupting Roman mid-complaint.

He scoffed. "Oh great, the emo nightmare is back."

Virgil resisted a wince, smirking at Roman instead. "Oh I'm sorry, does my presence bother you?"

"Kiddos," Patton scolded, his tone holding enough warning to stop any argument dead in it's tracks.

"Good morning, Virgil," Logan politely added. The emo nodded in acknowledgement.

"So anyways, what're you going on about this time? Someone dislike your selfie or something?" Virgil quipped in Roman's direction.

"Excuse me? No one could ever dislike my selfies! I look good, and from ALL angles!"

Virgil took a sip of his coffee, casually drumming his fingers on the side of the cup. "Y'know Roman... You're kind of like a flower."

Roman blinked, very obviously not expecting that. "Uh... thank... you?"

"All you do is sit there and look pretty."

The reactions were worth it.

Roman visibly recoiled, as if Virgil had just hit him. Patton giggled, quickly covering his mouth in an attempt to hide said giggle while guiltily looking away. Logan smirked, taking a drink of his coffee to cover it.

"But seriously though. What happened this time?"

Roman hadn't recovered enough from the roast to respond, so Logan took it upon himself to fill Virgil in.

"Roman was simply complaining about his terrible working conditions in an attempt to sway the conversation we were previously having."

Virgil raised an eyebrow.

"Logan!" Roman whined.

"It is highly important to watch the news, as I have told you countless times! You need to stay up to date on events occurring in our area, as well as any future events that may affect us."

"But the news is boring and repetitive! And I don't like the channel that you always put on."

Logan sighed deeply. "Just because Channel 8 displays multiple sides of arguments and events, including opinions you do not favor, does not mean you can dismiss it. In fact, it is far better if you remain open-minded enough to consider such events from multiple angles."

"I would rather not have this discussion here," Patton murmured, but his statement went mostly unnoticed.

"Well, you watch the news! You can just fill me in on anything important. Besides, I don't see you nagging Patton about it, and he doesn't watch the news either!"

"He does occasionally, and he is certainly far more nonbiased than you."

"Oh come ON!" Roman glanced over to Virgil, who blankly looked between the two. He sighed. "Virgil, please. Let this be the one thing we agree on."

"I... I don't have a TV... Can't really watch the news without one."

The table fell silent for a moment. Virgil squirmed slightly under the gazes of his three companions. He felt an itch on his back, but it was gone before he could get a chance to scratch it.

"I... apologize." Logan took a small drink of his coffee, looking away.

"It's fine, it's fine."

"How can you not have a TV?" Roman muttered in shock.

"I'd prefer having food, thank you very much."

Even Roman could see the emo's discomfort.

"So... Anyways, as I was saying, I don't need to watch the news."

"Yes, yes you do."

"Look, if there's anything I need to know you can pass it on, ok?"

"I will not let myself become your messenger for information you can easily obtain yourself!"

"Ugh, but I don't want to watch that stupid news channel!"

"You are missing out on valuable insight."

"What's so special about the news anyways?"

"The news provides valuable information to help you stay current with events in society, as I have said before _multiple times._ "

"And?"

Logan sighed deeply. "You may also find stories that don't directly affect you, but interest you nonetheless."

"An example, Pointdexter?"

"Well, you enjoy hearing about the exploits of superheroes and the like, right?"

Virgil did his best not to stiffen, while Patton and Roman both shot glances at Logan.

"Yes... why?"

"Channel 8 keeps accurate tabs on such stories. For instance, just this morning, they did a short segment about the state trying to reach out to the local Wonder Team, claiming a reward for their service to the city."

Virgil did his best to look uninterested, taking a sip of his coffee. A... reward? And advertised on public television? They were just asking for trouble.

Roman gave a quiet grumble as he sipped his coffee, but didn't argue any more.

"So anyways, if we can get off a topic I know literally nothing about it would be nice," Virgil intervened.

"Anything where you're not arguing, please," Patton pleaded, looking between the three in concern.

"But I wasn't trying to change the topic before, I'm honest-to-God upset with my boss," Roman noted.

"Do I even want to know?" Virgil muttered, hiding behind his coffee.

"I don't know why he hasn't fired me yet. He obviously hates me and has wanted to do it for a while. I bet the jerk is waiting until my birthday to do it. Make it _real_ special."

"Your birthday?" Virgil inquired, sarcastically raising an eyebrow.

"August 17th!" Roman bit back in a very matter-of-fact tone.

"I didn't- Ugh. I meant, why would you assume those are his intentions?"

"He's a wicked man who seeks nothing more than to drain the joy out of everything. Like you, except less emo."

"Aww, thank you, I try my best."

Roman rolled his eyes. "I still don't like you."

"Looks like we do have something in common!"

"No arguments, please! You two need to learn to get along."

"Patton, Roman is very clearly an acquired taste; one with which I do not have, want, or need."

" _Excuse-_ "

Patton cleared his throat and the two fell quiet.

For a full 5 seconds.

"What so-called 'revenge' plans do you even have?"

"Uh, well..."

"Do you even have anything planned in the first place?!"

"I'm in the process of making them! I've been searching the internet for ideas-"

"The Internet? Wow. You've never done anything like this before, have you?"

"I've never had any reason to reap vengeance on anyone before!"

"Hun, you don't go to the Internet for the good ideas. You look for the professionals."

"What on Earth are you talking about?"

"People who have done things like that before. People who know how to do it. Who can teach you how to execute it properly. And, most importantly- especially if anything you plan on is illegal, how to not get caught."

"Excuse you, I am not doing ANYTHING that's illegal!"

"Aww, where's the fun in that?"

Patton cut in before Roman could retaliate.

"Virgil, kiddo. The law is there for a reason. I'd prefer if you two don't do anything to Roman's boss, but if you do, I will not stand for you doing anything against the law!"

Virgil rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. Legal it is, then."

"Wait. Seriously. Are you actually considering helping me out on this?" Roman inquired.

Virgil shrugged. "Sure, why not? We're gonna have to plan it out another time, though. I should probably head off."

The group said their goodbyes as Virgil got up to throw away his cup.

The emo glanced back at the table before leaving. The three were already off on another conversation as they finished their coffees, but something caught Virgil's eye.

A single dark grey feather was left behind at the back of his seat.

His heart caught in his throat.

He froze in panic. He couldn't go back over and pick it up, then they'd notice it for certain. He swallowed his fear the best he could, exiting the shop.

All he could do was hope and pray that they didn't see it, and if they did, they didn't tie it back to him.

He pulled a stick of gum out of his pocket, aggressively chewing it. They would never tie it back to him. And he didn't want to think about what would happen if they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions? Suggestions? Critiques? C r i s p y theories? Leave a comment (or a kudos if you really liked it)! I hope you enjoyed, see you next time!


	15. Chapter 14: Party Crasher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nobody cares if you're offended, nobody cares if you think your intentions were all for the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmm this is a short one but it's here anyways.
> 
> Proofread by Tyler and my boyfriend again, as usual.
> 
> Also, I actually named the town! Woo, got that out of the way.

A crowd had gathered in the late-summer night before the formal-looking yet obviously hastily built stage and podium.

The mayor of the city of Sentro nervously looked about the gathering, hiding his uncertainty with a charming smile.

Had the town's heroes even gotten word of the invitation? Would they even bother to show up? Were all of their efforts for nothing?

All the mayor could do was stand there and wait alongside the crowd.

He spotted reporters and news vans below. Of course they would show up. He expected nothing less.

The mayor, personally, loved the Wonder Team. Superheroes in general. They act selflessly to protect innocent civilians when the need arises. But he didn't really favor the news' outlooks on Super events.

Of course, he would never dare to say that out loud.

The people were getting restless, he could feel it. He himself was a bit uneasy. But this event was nearly a year in the making, there was no way he was going to call it off now. The heroes had to come. They would come.

He took a deep breath, painstakingly practiced smile not faltering in the slightest.

And that was when it happened.

A single shout turned into a turmoil. Cheers and cries arose. And from beside the crowd, a flash of gold streaked up into the sky and burst into a shower of brilliant sparks.

There they were.

Prince Goldenrod was in the front, savoring every bit of attention he got. He smiled brightly, he waved, he blew kisses that made girls swoon.

Spectrum was a tad more reserved. He happily greeted people among the crowd, but he wasn't as... _outgoing_ as the Prince.

Neuron politely nodded to people as he passed, remaining neutral in expression.

The mayor felt his smile broaden as he rushed to greet the trio. Oddly enough, he felt like a young boy again. Like his mother had arranged for someone to come to his birthday party dressed as his favorite comic book character.

But this wasn't a birthday party, and he wasn't a kid anymore.

And these weren't just entertainers.

And his mom wasn't here to take pictures either.

The mayor shook each of the heroes' hands in turn, before guiding the trio over to the podium. Once the crowd had silenced, the mayor began speaking.

"This September, it will have been a year since the Wonder Team first engaged in battle to save the town of Sentro from the terrors of the infamous Nightmare. And during that time, unfortunately, not much has been done to reward these mighty heroes. At least, not publicly. Soon after their first battle, we had been working to come up with a reward for the heroes. Plans changed, ideas failed, but eventually, we settled on a decision.

"Businesses large and small have been called upon to give back to the heroes that so bravely and selflessly battled to keep the town safe. And now, after these heroes have saved a local bank from a possibly grievous financial loss, it's time."

The mayor turned to the heroes. "Wonder Team; as thanks for all that you have done, the town of Sentro has put together a reward for you."

Just as he reached behind the podium, a voice cut him off.

_"Aww, and I wasn't invited?"_

The crowd erupted into screams as a dark shape peeled away from the shadows of the streets beside the stage. The heroes took action almost immediately; Goldenrod summoned his sword as the three rushed to confront the villain.

Nightmare smirked as the three approached. He brought a hand up to his chest in mock offense. "Didn't even think of me? How dare you."

"You weren't invited for a reason, fiend!"

"I'm never invited to parties much anyways. And again with the 'fiend'? Yeesh, you really need to come up with better insults."

"And _you_ really need to come up with better things to do in your spare time!"

"That was a bit better."

Neuron cleared his throat. Nightmare chuckled before taking flight.

Goldenrod summoned and launched a fleet of arrows at the villain, who easily swept them aside with a single swipe of shadows. "You really need to come up with new battle tactics, too."

The princely hero growled. "I'd have more things to do if you would stay on the ground for once, y'know."

"Like charge straight at me without realizing that's a good way to get yourself hit?"

"Hey! That was one-"

A beam of light flared past Goldenrod, aimed towards Nightmare. The villain countered it with his own shadows, smirking. "Really? A single-"

He stood corrected. Several more beams followed the last, but none of them were too tricky to counter. He glanced at Spectrum in confusion. It's like he wasn't even trying more than usual.

And that's when it hit him.

'It', being a dumpster.

He tumbled from the air, right in the direction of Goldenrod. He flared his wings, trying to stop himself from getting within range. A new beam of light nearly clipped his wing. He let out a hiss, sending a wave of shadow at the waiting hero. Goldenrod was distracted enough for Nightmare to back away, pain lacing up his back.

The villain growled, eyes darting between the three. They were all silent, surprisingly. Neuron's eyes flickered more than usual.

And then it _metaphorically_ hit him. They were actually coming up with a plan, for once.

_'About fucking time.'_

He'd only found out relatively recently that telepathy was one of Neuron's powers, and that's because he never fucking used it in the first place. Whenever the clever hero tried to come up with a plan, Goldenrod decided to improvise, or Spectrum would forget what they were doing. Poor guy had just given up.

But now he was trying again. And it was working.

Nightmare's eyes danced around the area. The crowd. Most of them had evacuated the area. Those that didn't lingered behind, watching the battle.

The villain smirked. He had nearly forgotten.

The news reporters and remaining civilians watching the fight let out collective screams as they were overcome by a wave of shadow.

The heroes, naturally, abandoned the villain in favor of the citizens.

Nightmare watched as the heroes helped the remaining people evacuate. He slunk back into the shadows, leaving them to it. He'd had enough fun for tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions? Suggestions? Critiques? ｓｐｉｃｙ theories? Leave a comment (or a kudos if you really liked it)! Hope you enjoyed, I have a little something special coming up next for you!


	16. Chapter 15: This Calls for a Celebration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday to you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tADAAAAA!!!!
> 
> In honor of my Roman's birthday, the Sunday upload was switched to Friday. Proofread by Tyler and my boyfriend as usual.
> 
>  
> 
> ~~Also happy birthday to rosesope as well~~

The coffee shop was bustling as usual. Three men sat in their usual spots, though things were slightly different today.

For one, Roman had a large, fancy-looking cupcake, of which he was taking bites of inbetween complaining.

Another was that Patton was brimming with excitement even more than usual. He had a plan, and he hoped on every star in the night sky that it worked.

It was Roman's birthday, and they had plenty enough money now to hold a celebration.

It still brought a warm feeling in Patton's chest to think about the reward they had gotten. Businesses all over Sentro, and even a few from other towns in Kaior entirely, had put together a large series of checks. Smaller businesses gave smaller amounts, while larger ones had much larger contributions. All of them were anonymous, for various typical things. They could easily cash any of them in and no one would be able to connect them to their super personas.

Just the fact that so many people and businesses contributed brought a smile to the man's face. He had always known that people appreciated what he and his team did, but having the evidence right there...

He couldn't help but smile.

Roman sighed as he put down his cupcake. "But anyways. I just wish I had a better way to spend today. After all, it's my BIRTHDAY! A day all about me!"

Patton eyed the entrance of the cafe, looking out for a particular someone. "I had an idea."

Roman raised an eyebrow, while Logan glanced at Patton curiously.

"Well, now that we have a little... extra saved up, we could- Oh wait, there's Virgil!"

Roman gave an exasperated sigh. "Are you planning on including Doom and Gloom in this?"

"It wouldn't hurt to ask him to come along," Patton pleaded.

Roman sighed yet again, even louder. "Why is he a part of everything we do now!?"

Before Patton could respond, said emo was already heading towards their table.

Patton waved, smiling brightly. Virgil smirked in response, perching at the edge of the bench as usual.

"Sup, nerds. Why does Roman have a cupcake?"

"Um, did you forget what day it is?"

Virgil paused, turning to Roman was a confused look on his face. Patton was about to cut in when he noticed a mischievous gleam in the shortest's eye. Roman obviously didn't catch it.

"Uhh, Friday? Oh wait, did you mean like, number day? 17th? What's special about that?"

Roman blinked, offense written clearly across his face.

"I don't think I missed a holiday? What day was Sentro's founding day again? Wait, no, that's not in August, is it?" Virgil continued, fighting back a smirk.

"You really-"

"Hmm, I can't think of any holidays in August. Then what am I missing?"

Patton took a sip of his coffee to hide the growing smile on his face.

"Did you really forget!?"

"Looks like I did. Today just seems like a normal day. Did you mix up something, maybe? I know that there's one on the 7th. Wasn't that the founding day of the next town over? Unless you're from there I don't see much need to celebrate."

"Are you kidding me? It's my-"

"Oh oh oh! Wait, is it national cupcake day? That would explain the cupcake."

"That would be December 15th," Logan chipped in, a small smile creeping up his cheeks.

Roman was furious. "NO IT IS NOT NATIONAL CUPCAKE DAY, IT'S MY-"

"Well, yeah, Logan just corrected me on that! Thank you, by the way."

"YOU COMPLETE-"

"Oh, and happy birthday, by the way."

Roman paused, and it took every ounce of Virgil's willpower to not burst into laughter.

The tallest slowly let out a breath, running a hand through his hair. "I hate you so much."

"Aww, same! I hate me too. Looks like we can finally agree on something."

"I will admit, that was... amusing to spectate," Logan murmured as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Don't even start. You two already know today has not been a good day so far."

"What happened this time?" groaned Virgil from behind his cup (which was marked as 'Not okay (I promise)' today).

"I was right."

"Oh no, how dreadful."

"Right as in, I knew my boss was going to fire me today. This morning I got a text from him telling me not to come in to work today."

"How far along the plan did you get?"

"Almost halfway."

"Halfway!? What happened?"

"I would've gotten further if SOMEONE hadn't thrown a brick through the window."

"You think it was me?"

Roman glared at Virgil out of the corner of his eye. "I _know_ it was you."

"You can't prove anything."

"Woah woah woah, let's not throw bricks through windows please!" Patton interrupted.

"Honestly though, it wasn't me."

"Anyways," Patton began before any other conversation could start. "I had a bit of an idea. Seeing as it's Roman's birthday and all, I thought maybe we could do something to celebrate?"

"I doubt we'd have enough time to have a celebration with you and I still working during the day," Logan commented.

"Well... Maybe... We could take a day off?"

Logan blinked. "Are you really suggesting that?"

"I was just thinking, we could use a bit of a break. Just to relax a little. Plus, it just wouldn't be nice to leave Roman alone all day on his birthday!"

Logan sighed deeply, looking away before Patton could pull the puppy eyes on him. Patton's puppy eyes were a dangerous weapon that should not be taken lightly, as known by half of the table.

"We are not going to start slacking off on our jobs."

"Just for today, Logan? Please?"

Logan grumbled something under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fine. Just for today."

Patton smiled brightly, giving the eldest a quick hug. Logan stiffened, but didn't pull away.

Virgil finished his coffee in one final gulp. "You guys have fun with that."

"Virgil? Aren't you going to come with us?"

"Wait, me? Why?"

"You're a friend, too!"

"Are you really-" Virgil paused, glancing between the three of them. Roman was dejectedly eating the rest of his cupcake. Logan glanced at him in warning. And Patton-

The dangers of Patton's puppy eyes were known by three fourths of the table.

"Y'know what? Sure. Why not. I'll give my boss a bit of a break from me."

"Yay!"

"If this is the case, we should call in to our individual workplaces and let them know we will not be coming in," Logan concluded.

Patton pulled out his phone as Virgil snorted.

"Can't. I don't get paid enough for service anymore. All I use my phone for is music and checking the time. My boss can suck it. If she's mad, she'll just have to raise my pay again already."

"That... does not sound ethical, business-wise. There are laws set up to-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Can't really do anything about it, so I just accepted it."

"You really shouldn't let yourself be treated that way, kiddo."

Virgil didn't meet either pairs of eyes staring him down. God, they could be such parents sometimes.

"Just... get your calls done so we can head out."

Roman sighed. "Where are we headed?"

"Where do you want to go?"

 

 

Roman looked through the name brand makeup products, having a serious mental debate. Which of these did he need?

And what did he want alongside them?

He could go for something bold. Like bright red, or gold (hey, that rhymed). Maybe something more natural? What would fit in best with his wardrobe that he didn't already have?

What was he running low on? He didn't wear makeup too much so he wasn't all that certain.

He should really update his clothes a little, too. He looked amazing in red and neutral tones, he knew that much, but he couldn't wear them all of the time. Maybe blue? Blue would compliment his eyes nicely. Sure, blue.

How much liquid eyeliner did he have left?

He was running low on face masks... Oh well, he could grab those another time.

The others were waiting, he needed to hurry.

Wait, he forgot to check the nail polish.

It had been way too long since he had painted his nails! He should really do it again. Maybe paint Patton's too? The youngest had enjoyed it the last time. He completely forgot what colors he had! Ah, forget about it. He could check up on all of that later. Right now he had to-

That was a nice lipstick color.

A few aisles over, Virgil grabbed the palest foundation he could find.

 

 

They had chosen the mall with the pet store.

As soon as Patton had spotted it, they knew they were all doomed.

"Oh my goodness he's just too gosh darn cute! What's his name?"

"She, and her name is Bella."

"Whoops, sorry! And she is one of the most adorable puppies I've ever seen!"

"Patton, leave the girl and her dog alone."

"Oh, sorry! Thanks for letting me pet your dog!"

Patton was overwhelmed with the amount of dogs and cats. They were all too cute and he wanted to petthemallbuthewasallergictocatsbuthewouldpetthemanyways-

"Perhaps it would be best if we moved on?" Logan insisted. He had been wordlessly put in charge of making sure Patton doesn't get lost in Happy Paws while Roman watched a litter of puppies playing with each other and Virgil hung out by the cats.

"Aww. I guess you're right. But they're all so cute! Ooh, do you think we could adopt a dog?"

"No we cannot. Our apartment lease explicitly says that no pets of any kind are allowed."

"Awwww!!!"

"Come on, let's go find Roman and Virgil and move on-"

"Look look look! That person has a corgi! It's so small and chubby! I need to see if I can pet it!"

"Patton, no!"

 

 

He wasn't going to buy anything. That's what he told himself. He had already broken that rule once, and he wasn't going to break it again.

Especially not in a technology store of all places.

This is where things get expensive.

Virgil carelessly meandered through the aisles, listening to the sound of Roman, Patton, and Logan arguing about something (a phone? He wasn't paying attention.) grow fainter.

Look at all of the things he couldn't afford and never could.

Well- Okay. That was a bit of a lie. Technically? He could afford them. He had six thousand dollars. But the thing was, he didn't want to waste said six thousand dollars. The money was solely to help when his boss was being a bitch or to get him breaks or sick days when needed (they were already being put to work), not to waste on fancy techy things.

Except, he could use some new earbuds. Maybe they would have something cheap?

He found the correct aisle easily, but paused.

_'Nope nope nope, earbuds. Cheap and have everything you need.'_

But... that looked cool.

_'Too expensive.'_

But it's cheaper here than he'd ever seen before.

_'Stop breaking your one rule.'_

Well... sometimes rules were meant to be broken.

"Oh, there you are!"

Virgil trudged back up to the group, box in hands. Patton tilted his head slightly in curiosity, while Roman scoffed.

"It was an impulse buy, ok?" Virgil sighed, tucking the wireless sound-blocking headphone box under his arm. "I'll regret it eventually. Let's just get a move on."

 

 

"Ok, yeah, but why is it so HUGE?"

Roman rolled his eyes. "Just eat it, Panic at the Everywhere."

"I'm not hungry enough for the whole thing!"

Patton said something unintelligible with his mouth full.

Logan sighed, burying his head in his hands. It was only lunch and he was already exhausted.

The four were seated in the mall's food court. The bustle around them was loud to begin with, not to mention it echoing across the ceiling. They had purchased a pizza, of which Virgil was still marveling over.

"And this was how much again?"

"The typical price of a pizza?"

"Damn. It's been a while."

Patton swallowed and spoke again, but clearly this time. "If you don't think you can finish it, I can finish it for you," he offered.

Virgil shrugged. "We're probably gonna have to do that."

"So, Roman, anywhere else you have in mind?"

"Most store trips I want to I'd rather go alone for... I don't know. Maybe try a different mall?"

"We're gonna be doing a lot of walking, aren't we?" Virgil sighed.

Why was Logan the only mature one here?

 

 

Mentally and physically exhausted, sun going down, the four finally decided to end their mall misadventures and head home.

"Thanks for coming along, Virge!" Patton said with a smile.

"Thanks for inviting me. I think somewhere in there there was some semblance of fun."

Patton chuckled while Roman rolled his eyes and Logan internally smirked.

"See you tomorrow?" Patton asked, hopefulness clear in his tone.

"You know it."

With final waves, Virgil turned to head down his street.

He paused.

"Roman."

The tallest froze mid-step, glancing over at the shortest curiously.

"Catch." Virgil tossed something underhand to the birthday boy, who caught it.

"Happy birthday." And with that, Virgil was gone.

Roman was left holding a small hand-made bracelet made with red and gold thread.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions? Suggestions? Critiques? m a g i c a l theories? Leave a comment (or a kudos if you really enjoyed it)! Hope you enjoyed, see you next time! ~~I only just realized I used a text font that broke the end note. Whoops.~~


	17. Chapter 16: Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My soul and my youth  
> Seems it's all for you to use

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You haven't forgotten, have you?
> 
> Warnings: nonconsensual drug usage

_Every bone, muscle, and nerve in his body ached. He didn't even want to move._

_083 remained still, even as the door opened._

_"He's not moving," a man said._

_"I told you it was a waste."_

_"He's just sleeping. Wakey wakey, 083!"_

_The side of his cage was hit, and the boy winced. He looked up at his Chambermaster with a whimper._

_"See? He's still alive."_

_The head man from yesterday came up beside the Chambermaster. 083 rolled onto his back and sat up, wincing as his body shrieked with the movement._

_All of the men from before were there. One of them was holding another one of the tools with the long point, but this one was filled with a black liquid._

_"Moving already, too. See, Daniel? I was the one that told YOU!"_

_"Enough, Todd. You're lucky I'm still giving you a chance, considering that attitude. Strap him up."_

_083 felt cold terror wash over him, drowning out the pain in his limbs. He whimpered, scooting away from the door of his cage._

_"Now now, don't try to get away."_

_He whined louder, pressing himself into a corner. Not again, he didn't want to go through that again._

_"Behave, 083," the Chambermaster snarled, a threat clear in his voice. 083 was just out of his reach._

_The boy let out another, longer whine as he tried to make himself as small as possible, covering as much of his body as he could._

_The Chambermaster growled. He slammed the cage door shut, causing 083 to jump with a squeak. Next thing he knew, the top of his cage was unhinged and lifted off._

_083 let out a shriek, trying to climb out. The Chambermaster was faster, however. The small boy thrashed, despite the aching fire that sprung back to life in his muscles._

_"RULE. NUMBER. THREE."_

_083 was shoved against the table so hard, a small crack was heard. He yelled, trying to claw his way free. The men came around him as his Chambermaster held him down to help strap him to the table._

_"Sorry, Danny. He's usually quiet. Once this is over, I'll teach him a lesson."_

_083 let out a strangled sob, unable to break free from his bonds. His chest hurt and yet again, it felt like he was burning._

_"Todd, frankly, I don't give a shit. It's time."_

_The man with the tool approached 083. The liquid sloshed around lazily and slowly within. The boy found his words._

_"P-please no! N-not again! Lemme go!!"_

_"Number one, 083. You've managed to break all three rules today, and it hasn't even been 10 minutes. That's rather unusual for you."_

_The man didn't hesitate to poke the tool into the boy's arm. He couldn't move away, he couldn't stop it-_

_Instead of a blistering fire, this one was cold. It gradually flooded in, turning everything in it's wake to ice. It was actually almost soothing. The seething ache was gone, replaced by a chilled numbness._

_083 relaxed, sniffling to himself. The men watched in anticipation. He ignored their stares._

_His whole left arm was numb, and it was starting to spread into his chest as well._

_He glanced at his arm. The veins stuck out, and were colored pitch black. How had the cold traveled to his stomach that quickly?_

_A small whimper escaped his lips. It was getting harder to breathe. Panic began to overtake him. His arm wouldn't move. He couldn't even twitch his fingers._

_The cold had moved on, past his chest and through his back and other arm. A chill laced through his throat. He tried to struggle, but it was as if he really WAS turning into ice. Each part of him that was overtaken became impossible to feel or move._

_He tried to let out another cry, but the ice killed it before it left his throat. He looked at the men, a pleading look in his eyes. They just stood and watched._

_He felt tears streak down his cheeks. How had they not frozen?_

_He could hardly breathe, his lungs struggling against the freezing wave. The cold was starting to sting._

_The cold webbed out through his stomach, overwhelming the fear that was already there._

_He wanted to cry out. He wanted to scream, to thrash, to beg. The ice kept him silent and still._

_It ran down his legs, it pulsed through him. His heart struggled to beat, oppressed by the frost that seeped into his muscles._

_There was a piercing pain in his head, and the world was growing darker. The numbness turned into a strange, almost burning sensation._

_The cold finished spreading._

_Everything was slowly fading back into numbness. The room was growing darker and darker._

_A deep breath surged into 083's lungs, painful yet sweet._

_And then he screamed._

_He was broken free of the stillness, though the ice lingered. It stung deep within him._

_All the pain, all the fear that had been left building up surged out in a shriek that made the men wince._

_His struggles were much, much weaker, but he could move again._

_They were growing weaker._

_A wave of fresh cold washed over 083. He shivered. His cry was cut off, and he fell limp._

_The men were dead still, watching the boy._

_His breathing was ragged, but there. His veins still stuck out black against his deathly pale skin._

_They waited as his breathing slowed._

_One carefully approached, looking him over._

_"Unconscious, but alive."_

_The head of the group sighed. "Put him back. He might need a day or two before you take him out again."_

_The Chambermaster had a shit-eating grin stuck on his face as he moved 083 back to his cage. The boy was freezing cold. "Fine, fine. I'll let you know when I take him back out."_

_"Thank you." With that, the men left._

_083 was left alone and unconscious, ice still flowing through his veins._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions? Suggestions? Critiques? s n e a k i n g s u s p i c i o n s? Leave a comment (or a kudos if you really liked it)! Hope you enjoyed, see you next time!


	18. Chapter 17: Order up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> k i n d a f i l l e r

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit of a shorter one, sorry. I'll make up for it in later chapters.
> 
> Normal proofreaders, nothing out of the ordinary, yadda yadda, enjoy!

Oh, this was _fun!_

The waitress trembled, at a loss of words. Nightmare grinned back, lounging casually across the booth he had chosen.

"I believe this is when you ask if I'm ready to order?"

She finally screamed, running away.

"Wow. Rude."

Honestly, the restaurant was filled with screams by now. It's not every day the town's infamous villain stops by in costume for a meal.

He expected nothing less.

Nightmare nonchalantly preened his right wing as he waited.

When the waitress returned, she was dragging the manager. The man froze before taking a deep breath and approaching the villain.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Nightmare glanced up at the manager in complete shock. "Why, I haven't done anything wrong!" After a split second, he added in a much quieter "Yet."

"Y-you're causing a scene. I am going to have to ask you to leave."

Nightmare tsked, silently reveling in the fear the man was trying and failing to hide. "We both know that's not how this is going to work. Now please, I'm ready to order."

 

 

Nightmare kept getting stranger and stranger.

None of the Wonder Team would have ever thought to find the villain manipulating a restaurant's staff into serving him.

The villain was teasing a poor terrified waitress when they arrived inbetween eating his food, practically laying across a booth seat like he owned the place. He smiled as he saw the heroes approaching.

"Ah, the Wondrous Disappointments! How nice of you to stop by. Care to join me?"

The waitress practically fainted in relief.

Goldenrod scowled at Nightmare. "Cease this at once!"

The villain gave an over-exaggerated yawn. "Don't you ever get tired of saying the same stuff over and over again? Also, I am being polite for once! Revel in it, it won't happen often."

"Scaring innocent people into submission is not even close to politeness," Neuron pointed out.

Nightmare sighed, looking up at the three. "Oh well. I tried to resolve this peacefully for once, but I guess things aren't going to turn out that way."

Goldenrod hesitated. "Wait, what?"

Nightmare stood and flared his wings out. He shot a smile at the waitress with a murmured "Keep the check." before sending a wave of shadow at the heroes.

He was gone before the heroes could recover. The waitress actually fainted, but luckily was saved by a booth seat.

The heroes rushed outside to find that the villain was waiting for them. Before any of them could do anything, another wave of shadow crashed over them. The villain cackled as Goldenrod slashed through them, anger clear even with the mask.

The villain stuck his tongue out as he flew higher, taunting the heroes.

Neuron sighed as he yet again scanned the area for things to fling at Nightmare.

These battles just kept getting more and more repetitive. Just doing the same thing, almost every single night.

Goldenrod launched arrows at Nightmare, as usual. He blocked them, as usual.

Neuron fell beside Spectrum, who watched cluelessly.

"How are you feeling?" He muttered, as usual, silently cursing the phrase.

Spectrum took a moment to think. As soon as Neuron saw the color spreading down Spectrum's suit, he let out a loud sigh. "That's not going to help very much, but I think I can figure something out."

Spectrum gave a half-hearted smile. "Sorry..."

"No no, it's fine."

Goldenrod and Nightmare were attacking each other back and forth, turning the sky into a mixture of bursts of light and darkness.

Nightmare laughed, while Goldenrod was furious. Nothing he was doing was working, and his teammates _sure weren't helping-_

A barrage of discarded soda cans caught Nightmare off guard, and he raised a wall to block it.

A spray of water hit him from behind and knocked him off balance. He tried to regain it, but the water that had hit his wings made it much harder to.

Another spray came at him, but it missed. Nightmare barely spared a glare at Spectrum, whose suit glowed a deep blue, as he tried and failed to correct his balance.

At first, Neuron had been worried his plan hadn't worked. It was made up on the spot, of course. But then, he noticed that Nightmare's wings were beating at different times, and it was quickly becoming more erratic. The villain was losing altitude. He met Goldenrod's eyes, and the taller hero seemed to understand.

As Nightmare was focused on trying to regain a consistent pattern, Goldenrod sent another flight of arrows at the villain. Nightmare noticed it last second, barely defending himself in time. He gave up on the struggle, dropping to the ground. Goldenrod took that as a cue to barrel towards the villain, sword at the ready.

Nightmare let out a hiss, shadows springing up all around him.

By the time Goldenrod's sword went through them, the villain had escaped.

Goldenrod threw down his sword in frustration, the very force causing it to shatter. He let out a groan as the shards disappeared into dust. Stupid summoning, making everything breakable to some point.

Neuron sighed, rubbing his temples. He already had a headache, which only grew from the events of the battle. "We should all get as much rest as we can."

Spectrum remained silent. All three had varying degrees of a bad day, but Spectrum had had arguably the worst out of them. The deep blue where there's normally yellow is enough of an indicator of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions? Suggestions? Critiques? **Conspiracies?** Leave a comment (or a kudos if you really liked it)! Hope you enjoyed, see you next time!


	19. A/N: Quick apology

Hey, I'm going through a bit of writers block currently. I had originally planned on getting a chapter out today, since I assigned September 8th as Logan's birthday, but I'm really having a hard time getting myself to write. I'm going to take a break for a while until my brain is ready to get stuff done again. I can't say for certain how long, but I hope it doesn't last for too long. I love writing this story, along with others, so much! And the things you guys have to say are wonderful. I just can't force myself to write right now.

Once I get back into the swing of things, I'll do a chapter dump with one chapter for every week I missed out on. Hope none of you are too upset.


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